LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



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A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 

AND 

A BLESSED YEAR. 



^•-•^OSE PORTER, 

AUTHOR OF "SUMMER DRIFTWOOD," "WINTER FIRE," ETC. 




NEW YORK: 
ANSON D. F. RANDOLPH & COMPANY, 
900 BROADWAY, COR. 20th STREET. 




EDWARD O. JENKINS* SONS, 

Printers and Stereotyjl>ers^ 
20 North William St. New York. 



" Oh, that Thou wouldest bless me indeed ; and 
that Thou wouldest keep me from evil. 

''And God granted him that which he re- 
quested." — I Chron. iv. 10. 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 

AND 

A BLESSED YEAR. 



JANUARY I. 

" God Almighty bless thee, and give thee the 
blessing of Abraham." — Gen. xxviii. 3-4. 

* Abraham was the friend of God ! Rise to the 
consciousness of your exalted rank as sharing his 
blessing. 

Blessed, thrice blessed are they who, at the hour 
when their earthly warfare — their spiritual conflict is 
closing, receive the benediction, * Blessed are ye.* 
* Sit down with Abraham, in the kingdom of your 
Father.'" 

Macduff, 

(5) 



6 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



JANUARY 2. 

" Lord, Thou art God. Now, therefore, let it 
please Thee to bless the house of Thy servant." — 
I Chron. xvii. 26, 27. 

** Remember home ties and home duties stand far 
beyond all others ; and they consist in doing the daily 
duties of life cheerfully, even when they look very 
dull, because Love is written upon them; and in cloth- 
ing all one's words and actions with love when nature 
feels cold and unlovely. These are the hours when 
we must try to reflect God's light, and give warmth to 
others." 

Anon, 

JANUARY 3. 

" Thou blessest, O Lord, and it shall be blessed 
forever." — i Chron. xvii. 27. 

All work must be done very simply and quietly, 
because God puts it into our hands to do, and then 
He will undoubtedly bless it. Do not allow yourself 
to feel overwhelmed with work. 

'* God hast sent you to do it, and no one else. He 
will give you all the strength you need to enable you 
to do it rightly. My God shall supply all your need." 

H. Monsell, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



7 



JANUARY 4. 

" Serve the Lord, and rejoice with trembling. 
Blessed are they that put their trust in Him." — 
Ps. ii. II, 12. 

Trust Him ; trust Him about every one and every- 
thing, for all times and all needs ; earth and heaven, 
the conquest of sin, the growth of holiness, the cross 
that chafes, the grace that stirs. To trust God honors 
and glorifies Him.'* 

Tkorold, 

JANUARY 5. 

" Blessed is the man that endureth temptation : 
for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of 
Life, which the Lord hath promised to them that 
love Him." — ^James i, 12. 

"Think how the blessedness of that world of un- 
broken rest will be enhanced by the trials and strug- 
gles, the tossings and tribulations which went before ; 
when life's tempestuous sea, wherein faith and for- 
tune were oft well-nigh shipwrecked, is exchanged for 
that haven of peace, where not one wave of trouble is 
ever after to roll ! " 

Macduff. 



8 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



JANUARY 6. 

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst 
after righteousness: for they shall be filled." — 
Matt. v. 6. 

Since * to the hungry soul every bitter thing is 
sweet,' so even the bitter herbs at the Lord's table are 
accepted ; and deep sorrow itself has its joy, if it but 
bring us nearer to Christ. 

" That nearness is the blessing of sorrow," 

Anon, 



JANUARY 7. 

" Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that 
delighteth greatly in His commandments." — Ps. 
cxii. I. 

** ' The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by 
the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us,' and hence we 
delight greatly in the Lord, for so long as the Holy 
Spirit poureth His love into our hearts we are safe. 
Therefore, love stands first among the blessed fruits 
of the Spirit— love, joy, peace, and the rest." 

Keble, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



'9 



JANUARY 8. 

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit 
the earth.' —Matt. v. 5. 

"Only have faith in this, and thou wilt live high 
above the rewards and punishments of that spectral 
giant which men call society. Be found with thine 
own conscience in that circle of duties which widens 
ever, till it enfolds all beings and touches the throne 
of God." 

Mrs. Child, 
'* Be noble ! and the nobleness that lies 
In other men, sleeping, but not dead, 
Will rise in majesty to meet thine own." 

JANUARY 9. 

" Every man shall give as he is able, according 
to the blessing of the Lord thy God, which He 
hath given thee." — Deut. xvi. 17. 

"You must, in a certain sense, reward God. You 
can not give Him money, for the silver and gold, the 
cattle upon a thousand hills are His already. But you 
can give Him your heart. And as old Henry says, 
* Thanksgiving is good, but thanks-living is better.' " 



lO 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



JANUARY lO. 

"Blessed are they which are called unto the 
marriage supper of the Lamb." — Rev. xix. 9. 

Remember, if only we can bear the trial of delay 
and accept the judgment which lays bare our true con- 
dition,we shall, in due time, hear in our souls the Voice 
which reveals blessings through trial, and crowns en- 
durance with the fullness of joy." 

JVestcott. 



JANUARY II. 

" God made promise, saying, Surely blessing I 
will bless thee."— Heb. vi. 13, 14. 

** God is just in His ways with all men ; but He is 
also wise and kind ; and knowing us better than we 
know ourselves, and whenever we can be safely trusted 
with pastures that are green and waters that are still in 
the way of earthly blessing, the Good Shepherd leads 
us there." 

Tkorold, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



II 



JANUARY 12. 

" Since the people began to bring the offerings 
into the house of the Lord, the Lord hath blessed 
His people." — 2 Chron. xxxi. 10. 

Remember, — 

It is not life upon Thy gifts to live, 
But to grow fixed with deeper roots in Thee ; 
And when the sun and shower their bounties give, 
To send out thick-leaved limbs, a fruitful tree, 
Whose green head meets the eye for many a mile ! " 

Jonas Very, 

JANUARY 13. 

Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet 
have believed." — ^John xx. 29. 

''Here lies the central lesson of the revelation of 
our Risen Lord — the revelation of His spiritual pres- 
ence — the revelation of man's spiritual sight. 

" The truest, serenest faith is within our reach. The 
last event of the Gospel record holds our special 
blessing." 

Ano7t, 



12 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



JANUARY 14. 

" Blessed are they that hear the word of God, 
and keep it." — Luke xi. 28. 

Endure and dare, true heart, through patience 
joined with boldness, come we at a crown encircled 
with thousand blessings." 

Spanish Proverb. 



JANUARY 15. 

" Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for- 
ever." — Rom. ix. 5. 

** Is not this blessed news ? He who brings us into 
* the valley of the shadow of death ' is the same of 
whom it is said, * Thy rod and thy staff they comfort 
me.* 

•'And this is the news of the Gospel. And the only 
good news that will sustain and help us when we are 
encompassed with the sorrows of this stormy human 
life." 

Kingsley, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



13 



JANUARY 16. 

Blessed is the man who, going through the 
valley of Baca, make it a well." — Ps. Ixxxiv. 5, 6. 

Were you never not merely puzzled, but crushed 
and sickened at moments by the mystery of evil ? 

"And then — has there not come to you, that for 
which your spirit was athirst — and you know what- 
ever else is unholy, there is an Holy One, spotless 
and undefiled, serene and self-contained. Ah ! the 
blessing of this." 

Anon, 

JANUARY 17. 
" Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, 
he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the 
work, that man shall be blessed in his deed." — 
James i. 25. 

Remember, — 

* ' Good deeds are very fruitful ; out of one good ac- 
tion of ours the Lord produces a thousand, the harvest 
whereof is perpetual." 

Bishop Hall. 

" Live golden days, fruitful of golden deeds." 

Milton, 



14 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



JANUARY 1 8. 

' " The Spirit and the bride say, Come **\ " blessed 
are they that do His commandments." — Rev. 
xxii. 17, 14. 

" Listen to-day to the many-toned Voice of the Be- 
loved inviting you to flee to the Clefts in the Rock. 

''There, safe, secure — at rest forever with the 
blessed consciousness of all the elevating, ennobling 
privileges to which Christ's bleeding love has exalted 
you ; may it be yours to say in the triumphant words 
of the Psalmist, ' Thou hast also given me the Shield 
of Thy salvation, and Thy right hand hath holden me 
up, and Thy gentleness hath made me great.' " 

Macdu^, 

JANUARY 19. 

" Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall 
see God." — Matt. v. 8. 

** Surely this is a blessing we can not too often 
ponder — in connection with it, think to-day — * that 
though the fall has left us blind, we can still hear the 
Voice of God in the soul.' Yes, we know His Voice, 
though we can not see His shape. 

' ' But it will not always be so. The blessing of 
faith shall be crowned by the blessing of fruition. 
The Risen Christ will fulfil His own benediction — the 
pure in heart will see God." Anon. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



15 



JANUARY 20. 

"Blessed be God, .... who hath delivered 
His servants that trusted in Him." — Dan. iii. 28. 

** Lord, grant that we may trust in Thee, 

May ours this blessing be. 
Oh, give the pure and lowly heart, 
A temple meet for Thee." 

Keble. 

JANUARY 21. 

" Blessed be God, who hath begotten us unto 
a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ 
. ... to an inheritance incorruptible." — i Pet. i, 
3-4. 

Who can form a picture of the transcendent bliss, 
when Christ shall consecrate forevermore from the 
everlasting throne the relationships formed here on 
earth. Fashioned like unto the glorious body of Christ 
they shall indeed be, but they will retain all that con- 
stituted their former identity. Such is the happiness of 
individual love beyond the grave, for which our nature 
longs, and to which, through the glorious miracle of the 
resurrection, we shall rise." 

Macmillan^ 



i6 



A VEAK OF BLESSINGS, 



JANUARY 22. 

*' Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, 
and gave it to the disciples/'^ — Matt. xxvi. 26. 

Remember it is thus that now Christ draws near 
to us when we are bidden to draw near to Him at His 
holy table, and there gives us back, with His blessing, 
the offerings which we have brought to Him. 

** So, too, He draws near to us, as we go in and out in 
the fulfilment of our common duties ; near to us when 
we reassemble in our homes ; near to us at the time of 
joy ; near at the time of trial. Oh ! blessed com- 
panionship." 

Westcott. 

JANUARY 23. 
" Dwell in the land — the land of blessings — 
and verily thou shalt be fed." — Ps. xxxvii. 3. 

*'What land is that? The land of righteousness. 
Here you may dwell in quiet obedience ; here God 
comes to bless you ; here He will feed you with spirit- 
ual food — with His Word ; with His grace. Turn not 
away from the blessings of the land." 

Keble, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



17 



JANUARY 24. 

" Blessed is the man whom Thou choosest, and 
causest to approach unto Thee, that he may dwell 
in Thy courts." — Ps. Ixv. 4. 
Remember,— 
The Heavenly Shepherd is leading you in the right 
way to His own blessed fold. Leave all to Him — to 
His faithfulness, His love, His power, His watchful, 
sleepless care." 

This prison where thou art, 

Thy God will break it soon, 
And flood with light thy heart. 
In His own blessed noon." 

Gerhardt, 

JANUARY 25. 
'* For a blessing is in it."-— Is. Ixv. 8. 

Oh, blest the soul, whose lips of faith can say, 
In the storm lulls of grief, * Thy will be done.' 
Oh, blest the soul that trusts that Holy One." 

Kimball, 

Can you thus say, Do you listen for *'the murmured 
blessing sorrow always brings " ? 
2 



i8 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



JANUARY 26. 

I will be with thee, and will bless thee." — 
Gen. XX vi. 3. 

Blessed assurance, *I will be with thee,' hence 
we can never know a sorrow into which the Son of 
Man can not enter ; and we can never understand the 
depth and preciousness of His sympathy till we come 
to need it. 

* ' * I have had a very deep wound, ' says Lady Powers- 
court ; * the trial has been very severe, but how should 
I have known Christ as a brother born for adversity 
without it ? ' " 

Letters 0/ Lady Power scour t, 

JANUARY 27. 
"Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the 
kingdom prepared for you." — Matt. xxv. 34. 

Perfect rest, in perfect work ; that surely is the 
rest of blessed spirits. 

Death is not death if it brings us nearer to Christ. 
No, death is not death, for Christ has conquered death 
for Himself, and for them who trust in Him." 

Ki?igsley, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



19 



JANUARY 28. 

" Bless the Lord, O my soul."--Ps. civ. 35. 

** There are blessed hopes, therefore bless God, 
Yes, to the believer, true it is that God liveth, that * at 
the evening time there shall be light'; if not in this 
world, then in a better. 

** Remember, it is but a single step from the dark- 
ness of death into the light of immortality." 

Boyd, 



JANUARY 29. 

"The Lord liveth, in truth, in righteousness, 
and in judgment, and the nations shall bless them- 
selves in Him, and in Him shall they glory."— 
Jer. iv, 2. 

"Yea, the Lord hath prepared blessedness and joy 
for thee, where Christ is the Sun, the Life, and the All 
in AIL" 

Anon» 



20 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



JANUARY 30. 

" Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord 
Jesus Christ." — 2 Cor. i. 3. 

Commit yourself to your blessed Redeemer, and 
have hope in His cross. 

**Seek ye first — that is above all other things — the 
kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all other 
blessings shall be added to you. 

" Has it not been so all your life long unto this day ?** 

Keble. 

JANUARY 31. 

"Thus saith the Lord, * Keep ye judgment and 
do justice.* Blessed is the man that doeth this." 
— Is. Ivi. I, 2. 

Remember, 

There is a blessing wrapped up for you in every 
lowly duty, and if you despise its homely dress, the 
loss and the responsibility are your ov/n, 

** Arise ! and on thy future way, 
His blessing with thee be.'* 

Afwn, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



21 



FEBRUARY I. 

" They which be of faith are blessed with faith- 
ful Abraham." — Gal. iii. 9. 

** This text opens new realms of thought to the soul. 
As we repeat it we seem to enter within the veiL The 
seen and the unseen, earth and heaven, are united in a 
spiritual fellowship. We feel something of the infinite 
depth of Hfe which is contained in the words, * I am the 
God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.* I am the God : 
the existence, the possibihty of this divine covenant is 
our promise of undying life.'* 

TFesUoU, 

FEBRUARY 2. 

** Is the seed yet in the barn ? Yea, as yet the 
vine, and the fig-tree, and the pomegranate hath 
not brought forth : from this day I will bless you." 
— Hag. ii. 19. 

** He will bless your work! What a promise, the 
blessing of God. Enfolded by that blessing, you can do 
it, even if it be spiritual work. He has called you, and 
He will help you. Only trust to Him, and remember 
that it is not you who do it, but He who does the work 
through you." 

MonselL 



22 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



FEBRUARY 3. 

"The Lord shall greatly bless thee, if thou 
carefully hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy 
God." — Deqt. XV. 4, 5. 

**Be careful how you turn your blessings into bur- 
dens; if He calls you to suffer, believe that you could 
not do your work rightly or as safely if you had not 
had the blessing of chastening." 

Anon, 



FEBRUARY 4. 

"Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord: 
that walketh in His ways."— Ps. cxxviii. i. 

There is nothing that will impart true joy to the 
soul but a believing personal appropriation of the bless- 
ings of salvation. And there is nothing to hinder you 
from making this blessing your own. 

" Come and let us join ourselves to the Lord in an 
everlasting covenant that shall not be forgotten." 

Anon. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



23 



FEBRUARY 5. 

Blessed be the Lord, who teacheth my hands 
to war, and my fingers to fight." — Ps. cxliv. i. 

God would impress upon us in our spiritual con- 
flicts and spiritual advancements our dependence on 
Him ; that if we reach the heavenly inheritance this 
will be our confession on every retrospect of the earthly 
battle-field, * We got not possession of the land by our 
own sword, neither did our own arm save us. But Thy 
right hand and Thine arm, and the light of Thy coun- 
tenance.'" Macduff, 
FEBRUARY 6. 

" The Lord wilt bless the righteous : with 
favor wilt Thou compass him as with a shield." — 
Ps. V. 12. 

Look to God for blessing, and you will surely have 
it. As He bore you and carried you in the days of old, 
so will He now, and even unto the end, however dis- 
tant that may be." Anon. 
** Thou Saviour dear, 
Come near and bless 

Till in the ocean of Thy love 
I lose myself in heaven above.** 



24 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



FEBRUARY 7. 

" Blessed is the man that keepeth the Sabbath." 
— Is. Ivi. 2. 

" The Lord's day, being the remembrance of a great 
blessing, must be a day of joy and spiritual thanksgiv- 
ing, and therefore it is a proper work of the day to re- 
count the great works of God, and to remember His 
mercies. 

** We truly rejoice in God when we make our neigh- 
bors, the poor members of Christ, rejoice with us.'* 

y, Taylor, 



FEBRUARY 8. 

" Who shall ascend unto the hill of the Lord ? 
He that hath clean hands and a pure heart, he 
shall receive the blessing from the Lord/' — Ps. 
xxiv. 3-5. 

It is a blessed thing to see Christ with up-sun, and 
to read over your papers and soul accounts with fair 
morning daylight." 

Rutherford, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



25 



FEBRUARY 9. 

"Whosoever shall give to drink a cup of cold 
water in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto 
you, he shall in no wise lose his reward." — Matt. 
X. 42. 

" Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son 
of man that layeth hold on it." — ISA. ivi. 2. 

*' Our thought is never more than a cup-full of God's 
truth, yet therein is a blessing promised to him who 
brings a cup of cold water only in the name of a 
disciple." 

Newman Smyth, 

FEBRUARY 10. 

** This is the blessing of Judah, let his hands be 
sufficient for him." — Deut. xxxiii. 7. 

God grant it may be your blessing too. 
When thy hand hath done a good deed, ask thy 
heart if it be well done ; the matter of a good action is 
the deed done ; the form of a good action is the man- 
ner of the doing ; in the first, another hath the comfort, 
and thou the glory ; in the other, thou hast the com- 
fort, and God the glory ; that deed is ill done wherein 
God is no sharer." 

Enchiridion. 



26 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



FEBRUARY II. 

"The Lord hath been mindful of fis. He will 
bless us." — Ps. cxv. 12. 

Have you not found this promise true ? ** You love 
God ; you walk upon the sea ; the swellings of this 
world are under your feet ; you find calm in the midst 
of tempest ; every man's own besetting sin is the tem- 
pest. And why is this ? All because the Lord is mind- 
ful. Remember when your heart fluctuates with the 
desire of sin, then call on Christ, that you may conquer 
the desire." 

Anselm, 

FEBRUARY 12. 

" My mouth shall speak the praises of the Lord, 
and let all flesh bless His holy name for ever and 
ever." — Ps. cxlv. 21. 

Remember, *'you must hold intercourse with God, 
or your soul will die. You must walk with God, or 
Satan will walk with you. You must grow in grace or 
you will lose it ; and you can not do this but by appro- 
priating to this object a due portion of your time, and 
diligently employing suitable means." 

Cecil. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



27 



FEBRUARY 1 3. 

" Blessed are ye when men shall hate you, and 
shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil 
for the Son of Man's sake."-— Luke vi. 22, 

** You have but one thing to fear, and that is, lest 
the kingdom of God should be taken from you ; and 
this kingdom of God is faith ruling in the heart. 

** Blessed are they whose eyes behold that kingdom." 

Fenelon, 



FEBRUARY 1 4. 

"Mercy and truth shall go before Thy face. 
Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound : 
they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy coun- 
tenance." — Ps. Ixxxix. 14, 15. 

Remember, 

** If in a time of great darkness we yet perceive God 
to guide us by the lantern of His providence, it is good 
to follow the light close, lest we lose it by lagging be- 
hind." 

Fuller, 



28 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



FEBRUARY 1 5. 

"The Lord shall open unto thee His good treas- 
ure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in 
his season, and to bless all the work of thy hand." 
— Deut. xxviii. 12. 

** His lawwill bind thee ; His goodness will comfort 
thee ; His grace will bless thee. Then faith and peni- 
tence and prayer and worship will satisfy thee, for they 
will be the supreme realities of your life." 

H. J, Van Dyke. 



FEBRUARY 1 6. 

"The just man walketh in his integrity; his 
children are blessed after him.'* — Pro v. xx. 7. 

" Integrity is godliness, and godliness is the tendency 
of the mind towards God, and is exercised in believing 
in Him, loving and fearing Him, holding communion 
with Him, and employing ourselves in His service, and 
consecrating all that we do to His honor." 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



29 



FEBRUARY 1 7. 

" Bless the Lord, ye that do His commandments, 
hearkening unto the voice of His Word." — Ps. 
ciii. 20. 

The blessed Voice which comforts by the hope of 
eternal blessing. Ah! think of the blessings that Voice 
describes — blessings distributed by the Hand of God, 
and which He gives us even now. 

Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gifts." 

Anon, 

FEBRUARY 1 8. 

" Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be 
comforted.'* — Matt. v. 4. 

**We glory in tribulation.'* **What new tears are 
these," says Saint Augustine, ** which make those hap- 
py who shed them ? 

" Their blessedness consists in this, they are the signs 
of grief for sin. Blessed tears which grace draws forth I 
which lessen our desire for temporal things, and increase 
our desire after eternal good," 

St. Augustine, 



30 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



FEBRUARY 1 9. 

" I will bless the Lord at all times ; I sought the 
Lord and He heard me." — Ps. xxxiv. i, 4. 

** Lord, teach us to pray. Give unto me, Thy child, 
the blessings I know not how to ask. 

* Teach me to pray, for * even a blessing, blessing 
needs, to make it blessedness.' " 

Anon, 



FEBRUARY 20. 

" Blessed are ye that hunger now, for ye shall 
be filled." — Luke vi. 21. 

''Truth and righteousness are the spirit's food. 
Every one receives that holy food according to the 
measure of his desire for it. 

** Let us be before God as one who begs and seeks 
for a morsel of bread ; * Give us this day our daily 
bread.' Bread which strengthens the soul, for every- 
thing which befalls us in the course of the day." 

Fenelon. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



31 



FEBRUARY 21. 

" Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk 
in the law of the Lord/' — Ps. cxix. i. 

Human innocence is not to know evil ! Christian 
saintliness is to know evil and good, and prefer good. 

You can not manufacture a voice of conscience out 
of expediency ; the voice of conscience says not, It is 
better not to do so ; but — ' thou shalt not.' 

F, W. Robertson, 

FEBRUARY 22. 

" Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy- 
hath regenerated us unto a lively hope, by the 
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.*' — 
I Peter i. 3. 

** * Christ in us the hope of glory.* This is no dream, 
no fable, but a blessed reality. There is not a power 
which He exercised ; there is not a quality which He 
manifested, in His earthly ministry, which He is not ex- 
ercising and manifesting to-day in the hearts of men.*' 

H, y. Van Dyke. 



32 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



FEBRUARY 23. 

" Blessed be ye poor." — Luke vi. 20. 
Consider that the blessings in the Holy Scripture 
are never given to the rich, but to the poor. I never 
find * Blessed be the rich,' or * Blessed be the noble,* 
but * Blessed be the meek,' and * Blessed be the poor,' 
and * Blessed be the mourners, for they shall be com- 
forted'; and yet, O God, most carry themselves so, as 
if they not only not desired but even feared to be 
blessed." 

Herbert, 

FEBRUARY 24. 

*' Thou shalt give unto the Lord thy God accord- 
ing as the Lord thy God hath blessed thee." — 
Deut. xvi. 10. 

When men do anything for God, the very least 
thing, they never know where it will end, nor what 
amount of work it will do for Him. Love's secret, 
therefore, is to be always doing things for God, and 
not to mind because they are very little ones." 

Faber, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



33 



FEBRUARY 2$. 

" Such as be blessed of Him, shall inherit the 
earth/* — Ps. xxxvii. 22. 

** Virtue, wisdom, goodness, and real worth, like 
the loadstone, never lose their power. These are the 
true graces, each yielding a blessing, which are linked 
hand in hand, because it is by their influence that hu- 
man hearts are so firmly united to each other." 

Burton. 

FEBRUARY 26. 

" The Lord will bless His people with peace/' 
— Ps. xxix. II. 

** The blessing of the religious man is an easy and 
portable blessing, such a one as he carries about in 
his bosom, without alarming either the eye or the 
envy of the world. A man putting all his blessings 
into the one, * Love God,' * Love thy neighbor/ is 
like a traveller's putting all his goods into one jewel, 
— the value is the same, and the convenience the 
greater." 

South, 



34 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



FEBRUARY 27. 

" Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is 
within me, bless His Holy Name." — Ps. ciii. i. 

I would ever awake with God ; my first thoughts 
are for Him who hath made the night for rest, and 
the day for work, and who hath blessed both. If my 
heart be early seasoned with His Presence, it will 
savor of Him all the day." 

Anon, 



FEBRUARY 28. 

" Blessed is the man whom Thou chastenest, 
O Lord, and teachest him out of Thy law." — Ps. 
xciv. 12. 

* * The truly good and great in affliction bear a 
countenance more princely than they are wont : for 
it is the temper of the highest heart, like the palm- 
tree, to strive most upward when it is most burdened." 

^S*. P. Sidney, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



35 



FEBRUARY 29. 

" Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain 
mercy." — Matt. v. 7. 

Mercy is like the rainbow which God set in the 
Heavens as a remembrance to man. We must not 
look for it after night, it shines not in the other world. 
If we refuse mercy here, we must have justice in 
eternity." 

Anon, 



36 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



MARCH I. 

" Blessed is he that waiteth." — Dan. xii. 12. 

Working or waiting, our souls will hang on Him. 
And waiting, as we must recognize and remember, is 
a sacrifice of self, a real martyrdom, no less than 
working. To win the soul in patience, to bear the 
trial of delay, to watch for the dawn through the chill 
hours which precede it, to keep fresh and unsullied 
the great hope that Christ will come, is a witness to 
the powers of the unseen world, which the Spirit of 
God alone can make possible." 

Westcott, 

MARCH 2. 

"The memory of the just is blessed. The hope 
of the righteous shall be gladness.'* — Prov. x. 
7, 28. 

Blessed are we if when we go to the grave of an- 
other, we can contract our mind to the small estate 
that awaits ourselves beside it, and give our souls to 
nobler thoughts and cares than those which usually 
possess us ; for in such a case we shall find the im- 
mortal fragrance that comes from the grave where the 
Rose of Sharon reposed, and plant a garden around 
the sepulchre whose everlasting flowers shall blossom 
from^the dust." 

Macmillan. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



37 



MARCH 3. 

" I am the God of Abraham. Fear not, for I 
am with thee, and will bless thee." — Gen. xxvi. 24. 

Our blessed Lord 'took on Him the seed of 
Abraham/ He condescended to be like us in all 
things. He subjected Himself to the changes of life — 
as joy after sorrow, rest after toil. He endured temp- 
tation. And all this He did for our sakes — for a token 
and earnest of love." 

Anon, 



MARCH 4. 

" Blessed is the man that endureth tempta- 
tion."-— James i. 12, 

''Thinking of blessings, I am persuaded there is a 
blessing in every snare, if we make use of the bless- 
ing, and cherish it, and roll the snare on Him. 

"Then let us enjoy our wilderness blessings — joy 
in sorrow, calm in storm.'* 

Power scourt* 



38 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



MARCH 5. 

" O bless our God."— Ps. Ixvi. 8. 
" He will have compassion upon us." — Micah 
vii. 19. 

Wherein is the blessedness of those that mourn ? 
Christ says, in being comforted, in the victory of their 
faith, in the endurance of love, trust, and patience ; re- 
member until we are thus comforted in our hours of 
sorrow we are not one with our Leader, nor in com- 
munion with our Father's Spirit. No one will suppose 
that the blessing of affliction consists in the suffering 
it brings. It consists in the spiritual response to suf- 
fering of one whose confidence is in the Source of 

Love." Thorn. 
MARCH 6. 

" O that Thou vvouldest bless me indeed, and 
that Thou wouldest keep me from evil."— 
I Chron. iv. 10. 

"The constant living and acting in God must come 
by degrees, getting more and more into God. First 
as it were entering the House of God, and then pene- 
trating through halls and vestibules, further and fur- 
ther, and nearer God." H. Mcnsell, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



39 



MARCH 7, 

" Blessed be thou of the Lord."— Ruth iii. 10. 

** Oh ! what powers are in Him when He sets about 
blessing ; when His aim is to bless, He blesses like 
a God ; all that His house affords shall be brought 
forth, while the mind of the great Original, as an un- 
fathomable mine of wealth, shall be an ever constant, 
ever new delight." 

Powerscourt, 



MARCH 8. 

" The Lord is a God of judgment. Blessed are 
all they that wait for Him." — Is. xxx. 18. 

Sit down and fix your thoughts on things above, 
and forget all the little vain passages of this life, and 
then your soul by thought will softly and sweetly as- 
cend to Heaven on the wings of the Holy Dove and 
dwell with God, till it returns, like the useful bee, 
loaded with a blessing and the dew of heaven." 

y. Taylor. 



40 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



MARCH 9. 

" The Lord will give strength unto His people, 
the Lord will bless His people with peace only 
ask Him. — Ps. xxix. 11 

Prayer is ever profitable; at night it is our cover- 
ing ; in the morning it is our armor. Prayer should 
be the key of the day, and the lock of the night. 
Prayer sanctifies all our actions. 
** Let us pray." 

Ano?t. 

MARCH ID. 

" Now let it please Thee to bless the house of 
Thy servant." 

" O Lord God, with Thy blessing let the house 
of Thy servant be blessed forever," — 2 Sam. 
vii. 29. 

Love God, and He will dwell with you. Obey 
God, and He will reveal the truths of His deepest 
teachings to your soul. Blessing, He will bless you." 

F, W. Robertson, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



41 



MARCH II. 

Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that 
send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass." 
— Is. xxxii. 20. 

The blessedness of having, is being able and will- 
ing to give, for it is more blessed to give than to 
receive. 

Labor,' saith St. Paul, 'that ye may have to 
give to him that needeth.' We can only give what we 
have, but there is no limit to what we may have for 
the asking. Blessed be God, we may comfort others 
by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted 
of God." Laws of Life, 

MARCH 12. 

" Jesus said, Suffer the little children to come 
unto me, for of such is the kingdom of Heaven. 
And He took them up in His arms, and put His 
hands upon them, and blessed them." — Mark 
X. 14, 16. 

Blessed are 3^e if ye become as a little child, for 
a child is the visible likeness of the Lord Himself, 
and there is blessedness in perceiving this truth ; the 
blessing is the truth itself. He who sees the essential 
in the child, the pure childhood, sees the essence of 
grace and truth ; in a word, real child-likeness." 

MacDonald, 



42 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



MARCH 13. 

"Jesus saith, Blessed are they that have not 
seen, and yet have believed.'' — ^John xx 29. 

"To whom shall a man, whom the blessed Lord 
hath made, look for all he needs, but to that blessed 
Lord, our God, in whom we will trust ; our knowl- 
edge, like our sight, limited now — yet bounded by the 
blessed promise, what we see not now, what we know 
not now, we shall know hereafter." 

MARCH 14. 

" Bless the Lord, O my soul ; I will sing unto 
the Lord as long as I live." — Ps. civ. i, 33. 

God is a great God, and therefore He will be 
sought. He is a good God, and therefore He will be 
found. 

The breath of prayer comes from the life of faith. 
And they that spend their days in faith and prayer, 
shall end their days in peace and comfort." 

y. Mason. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



43 



MARCH 15. 

" Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord." 
—Rev. xiv. 13. 

Let us consider that Heaven is our country as 
well as this. A great multitude of our dear ones 
are there, longing that we may come to their sight, to 
that joy which will be common to us and to them, to 
that full and perpetual pleasure which is There, where 
the Lamb is the light thereof." 

£ede. 

MARCH 16. 

" Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear 
the words of this prophecy, and keep those things 
which are written therein.*' — Rev. i. 3. 

How blessed it is to ponder and know the charac- 
ter of Him with whom we have to do. Pitiful, tender, 
full of compassion, keeping mercy, plenteous redemp= 
tion. 

^' We have no idea of His longing to bless ; with 
Him all must be loving, because He is love. All 
must be wise, because He is wisdom." 

Powey'scourt. 



44 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



MARCH 17. 

" Blessed is the man whose Hope the Lord is." 
— ^Jer. xvii. 7. 

"Blessed thought! There is nothing which be- 
longs more to the resurrection than Hope ! * Begot- 
ten again to a lively Hope by the resurrection of Jesus 
Christ from the dead/ 

'* It is in the power of this Hope, which is the 
power of the resurrection, that we can mount up with 
wings as eagles, can be dissociated from all around and 
stand aloof from all below." 

Anon, 

MARCH 18. 

" Blessed is the man whom Thou chastenest, 
O Lord, and teachest him out of Thy law." — Ps. 
xciv. 12. 

*' Blessed are the souls in whom not the strength of 
nature only, but that of grace, has been so brought 
low, even to the veiy dust, that they have learned to 
call nothing that they have their own. Therefore the 
believer as he advances in self-knowledge learns to 
bless and to adorn the experience of his own weakness, 
which as it were serves to let daylight within his whole 
spiritual being." Dora Greefiwell. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



45 



MARCH 19. 

"They which be of faith are blessed with faith- 
ful Abraham/' — Gal. iii. 9. 

In all our doings, spiritual and bodily, faith must 
rule and reign, and the heart hold it sure and firm, 
that God is looking on us, holds us dear, will keep us, 
and not forsake us." 

Luther, 

** A real faith has no anxiety." 

St, A7nbrose. 

MARCH 20. 

"Blessed is the people that know the joyful 
sound ! they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of 
Thy countenance." — Ps. Ixxxix. 15. 

**You are never so blessed that you may not be 
more blessed, you are never so high that you may not 
be higher. 

The Christian life is like a walk up a mountain, a 
continual ascent, and the ascent is ever marked by 
freshened power and joy, and the blessing is that we 
are called to ascend from height to height." 



46 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



MARCH 21. 

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, 
and the people whom He hath chosen for His 
own." — Ps. xxxiii. 12. 

** How blessed when He takes His bit of clay, and 
forms it into a vessel fit for the Master's use, especial- 
ly if He chooses us to be a vessel of consolation. 

Oh ! what a blessing we are not left to ourselves, 
that when we drag the skein of our life into tangles, 
mercy will sit down patiently to unravel.'* 

Powerscourt, 

MARCH 22. 

" Blessed are they that do His commandments." 
— Rev. xxii. 14. 

***The doer shall be blessed in his deed.* We 
know that God ordains the lot ; and to meet it with 
the energies it requires and permits, this is what we 
have to do. Service, happiness, guidance, is lawful 
mastery in this world, and this is a power in itself so 
divine that it always makes itself felt. 

If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do 
them." 

Them, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



47 



MARCH 23. 

*' Blessed are the meek/' — Matt. v. 5. 

"Who are the meek? Where is meekness seen? 
Where is there scope for manifesting it ? There is no 
scope, except in circumstances of provocation ; to feel 
kindly when all speak well of us, and no cross inci- 
dent harasses us, is not meekness at all. But when 
we are sorely tried. How is it with us then ? Are 
we then the blessed meek ? 

Anon, 

MARCH 24. 

" Looking for that blessed hope, and the glo- 
rious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour 
Jesus Christ." — Titus ii. 13. 

If we would become heavenly-minded, we must 
let the imagination realize the blessedness to which 
we are moving on. Let it calm you, and ennoble you, 
and give you cheerfulness to endure. 

" Let us think much of rest, the rest which is deep 
as summer midnight, yet full of life and force as sum- 
mer sunshine." 

F, W, Robertson, 



48 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



MARCH 25. 

" Thus saith the Lord that made thee, I will 
pour water on him that is thirsty, I will pour my 
Spirit and my blessing." — Is. xliv. 2, 3. 

" * Ask and it shall be given you.' What a blessed- 
ness to speak to God in confidence, to open the heart 
to Him, and to be brought intimatel}^ near Him in 
prayer. Happy is the soul which is blessed in prayer 
by the presence of God." 

Fe?ielon. 



MARCH 26. 

" The Lord thy God blesseth thee, as He prom- 
ised." — Deut. XV. 6. 

One leper only waits to cast himself at the feet of 
Jesus and worship Him. 

Let that one leper be the type of the soul to whom 
the whole blessedness of a blessing from Christ has 
come." 

Even the type of your soul ! 

Phillips Brooks. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



49 



MARCH 27. 

'* A faithful man shall abound with blessings." 
— PROV. xxviii. 20. 

*'When thou seest misery in thy brother's face, let 
him see mercy in thine eye ; the more the oil of mercy 
is poured on him by thy pity, the more the oil in thy 
cruse shall be increased." 

Anon. 

''Sweet Master ! 

Give me to do for thee each day 
Some simple, lowly, blessed task." 

MARCH 28. 

"Blessed is he that considereth the poor, the 
Lord will deliver him in time of trouble." — Ps. 
xli. I. 

Such will, indeed, have their reward ; they shall be 
recompensed at the resurrection of the just. Remem- 
ber, Christ said, * Inasmuch as ye do it unto one of 
the least of these my brethren, ye do it unto me.' 
Blessed service unto Christ ! " 

A7ton. 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



MARCH 29. 

" Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst 
after righteousness, for they shall be filled." — 
Matt. v. 6. 

Christ Himself shall fill them. * Blessed are all 
they that fear the Lord, and walk in His ways, for the 
Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him. Yea, 
all such as call upon Him faithfully. Happy, aye, blest 
are such souls, let the day of the Lord appear how it 
will, or when it will." 

MARCH 30. 

" The way of the Lord is strength to the up- 
right." — Prov. X. 29. 

" Blessed is every one that walketh in His ways." 
— Ps. cxxvili. I. 

** Be it yours to walk in the blessed steps of Christ's 
most holy life ! The tears which He shed on earth are 
earnest and types of those which He sheds with us 
day by day. He would not have bidden us to 'weep 
with those who weep,' unless He had set us the ex- 
ample ; we never weep even in spirit but He weeps 
with us. Be thankful, then, if He calls you to walk 
with Him in a service of consolation." Anon. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



51 



MARCH 31. 

" Bless ye the Lord, all ye His hosts ! Ye min- 
isters of His that do His pleasure. Bless the Lord, 
all His works in all places of His dominion ! Bless 
the Lord, O my soul/* — Ps. ciii. 21-22. 

Yes, we can join our hymn of praise to that which 
goes up forever to God from sun and stars, clouds and 
showers, beasts and birds, and every living thing, giv- 
ing thanks forever for His great glory." 

Ki7tgsley. 



52 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



APRIL I. 

"Blessed is He." — Rev. xvi. 15. 

" And He laid His right hand upon me, saying 
unto me, * Fear not : I am He that liveth, and was 
dead ; and behold I am alive forevermore." — Rev. 
i. 17-18. 

A living Christ ! Blessed truth. Do you believe 

it? 

** Oh, if we could only lift up our heads and live with 
Him ; live new lives, high lives, lives of hope, and love 
and holiness, to which death should be merely the let- 
ting of this life out to its completion." 

Phillips Brooks, 

APRIL 2. 

"Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest 
in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest 
out." — Deut. xxviii. 6. 

''O, blessed assurance ! that the Being to whom I 
owe every blessing I enjoy, every hope for time and 
for eternity, is now upon the throne, and * all power is 
committed to Him both in heaven and in earth,' that 
nothing can resist His commands ; nothing baffle His 
behests and purposes. 

There is no evil but His power can ward oif ; there 
is no calamity but He can arrest if He pleases." 

Macduff, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



53 



APRIL 3. 

Blessed are the poor in spirit : for theirs is 
the kingdom of heaven." — Matt. v. 3. 

" Ye meek ones, rejoice; and be glad, ye poor ; for 
yours is the kingdom of God, obeying and walking in 
the truth. 

" The saints, the brighter in glory, the more humble 
are they, and the nigher and dearer to Me. 

In heaven, to be even the least is a great thing, 
where all will be great ; for all shall be called the chil- 
dren of God." ^ 

A Kempis. 

APRIL 4. 

"Blessed are they that keep His testimonies, 
and that seek Him with the whole heart." — Ps. 
cxix. 2. 

Those who thus seek 'know the love of Christ 
which passeth knowledge.' They know Him, and the 
power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His suf- 
fering. 

'*0, blessed learning! above all that schoolmen 
have written or taught. For this is life eternal to 
know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom 
Thou hast sent." A7t7ta War7ier, 



54 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



APRIL 5. 

"And He led them out; and He lifted up His 
hands and blessed them."— Luke xxiv. 50. 

He led out 'past the scene of the agony and the 
weeping:'; and then, the apparent removal calls out a 
blessing never before given. It was made plain how it 
was expedient that He should go away. By that very 
return to the Father His presence was made sovereign 
over all limits of time and place. We can claim it and 
enjoy it, if we but bring before our souls the living im- 
age of His divine benediction." 

Anon, 

APRIL 6. 

* While He blessed them, He parted from them, 
and was carried up into Heaven/' — Luke xxiv. 51. 

The last act of Christ was an act of blessing. The 
last revelation of Christ was the elevation of the tem- 
poral into the eternal, beyond sight and yet with the 
assurance of an unbroken fellowship. 

" That blessing, that revelation are for us, the un- 
changed and unchangeable bequest of the Risen Lord. 
His hands are stretched out still in blessing. His 
Spirit is still hovering about us. And remember, His 
work is still waiting to be accomplished." 

Westcott, 



AMD A BLESSED YEAR. 



55 



APRIL 7. 

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive 
power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and 
honor, and glory, and blessing." — Rev. v. 12. 

Consider, the blessed spirits of just men made per- 
fect confess that they are nothing, but that Christ is 
all ; that they have nothing, but that they owe all to 
Christ. Ponder it, and the more you consider it, the 
more blessed depth of teaching will you find therein. 
Even so should we adore Him who alone is worthy of 
glory, and honor, and praise, and thanksgiving." 

Kingsley, 

APRIL 8. 

" Blessed are those servants whom the Lord 
when He cometh shall find watching." — Luke 
xii. 37. 

"A watching-time may be needed before 'the why 
and the wherefore' of His dealings are made manifest. 
But if, like that patriarch of the dawning Gospel dis- 
pensation, you take the promised Saviour in the arms 
of your faith, the day will come when you shall with 
him also be able to say, ' Mine eyes have seen Thy 
salvation.' " 

Remember, — "It is good that a man should both 
hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord." 

In Christo, 



56 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



APRIL 9. 

** Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall 
be comforted." — Matt. v. 4. 

If any eyes, dim with sadder than tears of bereave- 
ment, trace these lines, do not despair. * Cast thy 
burden on the Lord. He will sustain thee.' 

The promise is sure — they that seek shall find. It 
may be an up-hill struggle ; but, at last, * He satisfieth 
the longing soul.* 

'The waves,' says Chrysostom, 'are many, and 
the storm is furious ; but I fear not to be drowned, 
for I stand upon a Rock.' " 

Anon, 

APRIL 10. 

*' God having raised up His Son Jesus, sent 
Him to bless you." — Acts iii. 26. 

" The Father, God in Christ, is waiting, and willing, 
to bless us with 'all spiritual blessings.' He gives 
us, so to speak, a blank cheque, saying, ' Fill it up as 
you please ; fill it up, not for a few things, but for all 
things — pardon, peace, grace, holiness, strength for 
daily duty, light for perplexing paths, comfort in sor- 
row, support and victory in death.' " 

Macduff, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



57 



APRIL II. 

" Blessed is he who condemneth not himself in 
that which he alloweth." — RoM. xiv. 22. 

There is nothing in our nature, or in all the de- 
sires of our nature, certainly not in the infirmities of 
the flesh, which is wrong in itself, provided it keeps 
its place ; provided what is lower does not encroach 
upon what is higher ; provided by a choice of a worse 
when a better is before us, we do not forfeit the bene- 
diction, ' Blessed is he who condemneth not himself in 
that which he alloweth.' " 

Laws of Life, 

APRIL 12. 

I will bless the Lord, who hath given me 
counsel : my reins also — that is my heart — ^instruct 
me in the night seasons." — Ps. xvi. 7. 

**An inner spiritual wisdom develops in the quiet 
meditation and communion with God in the night 
season. 

'The night season,' as some one has said, * is the 
hour when believers hear the voices of the Heavenly 
life within themselves.' '* 

M, R. Vincejtt, 



58 A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



APRIL 13. 

" Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all 
His benefits ; who forgiveth all thine iniquities ; 
who healeth all thy diseases ; who redeemeth thy 
life from destruction ; who crowneth thee with 
loving-kindness and tender mercies.'* — Ps. ciii. 
2-4. 

"This is Bible restoration, Forgiven and brought 
back to life; wearing the halo of the sunshine of God's 
tender mercies like a crown." 

Anna Warner, 
The silent joy, that sinks so deep 

Of confidence and rest, 
Who but a Christian, through all life 

That blessing may prolong ? 

APRIL 14. 

" Christ said. Blessed is he whosoever shall not 
be offended in me." — Luke vii. 23. 

* Blessed,' so we seem to hear them say, shall be 
the doubting, half-believing John in his solitude and 
despondency, if he still holds on steadfastly, believing 
amidst unbelief, hoping against hope, faithful among 
the faithless, set free by the truth which he so sincerely 
sought. 

Blessed too are they who struggle against the temp- 
tations of life, and are able to feel a sustaining hope 
that God loves them, that Christ is cheering them." 

Sta7iley. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



59 



APRIL 15. 

" Blessed are the pure in heart." — Matt. v. 8. 
We must be pure in heart. There must be hoH- 
ness, nothing unholy, — faith, hope, love, grasping the 
ideal, and working it out in the mind and in the life. 
Take a book of the Bible, and get a knowledge of it, 
read it, and re-read it, and God will reveal Himself. 
Weak faith yields weak hope. If we had strong faith 
we should be at peace. 

*' Seek faith. * Ask and ye shall receive.' 

Anon. 

APRIL 16. 

" Blessings are upon the head of the just." — 
Prov. X. 6. 

Even here, we may advance from grace to grace, 
and from glory to glory. 

*' The first step is to desire, and the second is the 
enlarging our faith and deepening our love ; the third 
is the having courage to take our feet off the ground, 
and like the eagle fly upward, not needing to see land 
anywhere. All this will take time. But this does not 
matter, if we have faith and love and courage, and 
keep the desire steadfast ; and remember, we are not 
alone, we are drawn upward of God." 

H. MonselL 



6o 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



APRIL 17. 

*' Come, ye blessed of my Father." — Matt. 
XXV. 34. 

" It is your Father's good pleasure to give you 
the kingdom." — Luke xii. 32. 

Ponder the blessed truth of the sufficiency and 
faithfulness of God ! 

Whatever our needs, He can supply them, for He 
is God. He will supply them, for He is Love. Only 
let us believe, and our joy and blessedness shall be 
full. Let us honor God by trusting Him entirely. Let 
us be as willing to receive, as He is to bestow." 

Thorold. 

APRIL 18. 

The Lord shall command the blessing upon 
thee in thy storehouses, and in all thou settest 
thine hand unto." — Deut. xxviii. 8. 

The wealth of a man is the number of things which 
he loves and blesses, which he is loved and blessed by. 
For amid all life's quests 
There seems but worthy one — to do more good ! 
It matters not how long we live, but how." 

Festus, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



6i 



APRIL 19, 

" Blessed are the eyes which see the things that 
ye see." — Luke x. 23. 

** Blessed eyes, which see the things we see ! 

We as in a glass espy 

The glory of His countenance, 

• ••«•• 

Our dear Lord's face benign 

Bent on us with transfiguring power." 

Anon, 

** No man is so blessed as a real Christian. How 
little vanity does he feel, though he believes himself 
united to God." 

Pascal, 

APRIL 20. 

" The Lord thy God shall bless thee in all the 
works of thine hands, therefore shalt thou surely 
rejoice." — Deut. xvi. 1 5. 

** Bless me in this life with but peace of my con- 
science, command of my affections, the love of my dear- 
est friends, and I shall be happy. And — dispose of 
me according to the wisdom of Thy pleasure, even 
though Thy will be done in my undoing." 

Sir Thomas Browne, 



62 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



APRIL 21. 

" The Lord commandeth the blessing, even Life 
for evermore.'' — Ps. cxxxiii. 3. 

It is God who asks and offers ; man who thinks and 
replies. Because He loves us, He offers to help us. 

**He wants to be known as a Giver always of good 
things ; and when Christ taught His disciples, * It is 
more blessed to give than to receive,' His own blessed 
nature taught it Him." 

The Gospel of Christ » 

APRIL 22. 

" Blessed is the man who maketh the Lord his 
trust." — Ps. xl. 4. 

* * The blessed thing which the Bible calls faith is a 
state of the soul in which the things of God become 
glorious certainties. It matters not how it comes, 
whether as to Thomas through sight, or whether 
through the evidence of the Spirit ; and yet the faith of 
which Christ said, * Blessed are they which have not 
seen and yet have believed,' was a spiritual faith." 

W, Robertson, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



63 



APRIL 23. 

" The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and 
He addeth no sorrow with it." " When He giveth 
quietness, who then can make trouble ?" — Prov. 
X. 22 ; Job xxxiv. 29. 

** How beautiful within our souls to keep 
This treasure the All-merciful hath given- 
Grant it hearth and home. 

Quiet where'er we roam, 
Quiet around, within." 

Hymns of the Ages, 

APRIL 24. 

" Rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord. Bless 
ye the Lord." — Judges v. 9, 11. 

**He is a strict but a tender Master, and on the 
way in which He leads you, are not only crowns and 
thorns, but light and love, and sympathy and peace, 
and at the end — Heaven." 

M. R. Vmcenf, 
**The grave is but a covered bridge, leading from 
light to Light." 

Anon, 



64 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



APRIL 25. 

" Bless them that curse you, do good to them 
that hate you, and pray for them which despite- 
fully use you/'— Matt. v. 44. 

Remember, 

**The Lord creates occasions of contest to bless us 

with the opportunity of victory." ^ 

A Kempis, 

** Deem not that they are blest alone 
Whose lives a peaceful tenor keep ! 
For God, who pities man, has shown 
A blessing for the eyes that weep." 

APRIL 26. 

** Blessed are they which are persecuted for 
righteousness' sake : for theirs is the kingdom of 
heaven." — Matt. v. 10. 

" Great indeed is their reward, for it is no less than 
the beatific vision to contemplate and adore that 
Supreme moral heauty, of which all earthly beauty, all 
nature, all art, all poetry, all music are but phantoms 
and parables, hints and hopes, and reflected rays of the 
clear light of that everlasting day of which it is written, 
that * the city had no need of the sun, neither of the 
moon to shine in it, for the glory of God did lighten it.' " 

Ki7tgsley, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



65 



APRIL 27. 

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is 
within me, bless His holy Name." — PsA. ciii. i. 

"Oh, what a blessing it is to get right deep down 
into God's Word, for that Word is ever new, and the 
source of new thoughts to them who feed upon it. 
This is the Rock of yesterday, to-day, and forever. 
Come to it, it is all yours ; every acre of the blessed 
land of Canaan is yours. There is not a star in the 
great firmament of Scripture but shines for you ; not a 
promise but you may take it, and live upon the pro- 
duce thereof." 

f> Spurgeon, 

APRIL 28, 

"The memory of the just is blessed." — Pro v. 
X. 7. 

** Blessed is the memory of those who have kept 
themselves unspotted from the world ; yet more blessed 
and more dear the memory of those who have kept 
themselves unspotted in the world." 

Mrs. yameson. 
" Remove thou thy sins, O weak believer, and 
thou may'st hope to see Christ thy sun." 

Spurgeon, 

5 



66 



A YEAR GF BLESSINGS, 



APRIL 29. 

The wisdom that is from above is pure/' — 
James iii. 17. 

" Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall 
see God/' — Matt. v. 8. 

**The secret of the Lord is theirs, 
Their soul is Christ's abode/' 
** * The single heart is the pure heart the heart that 
knows the indwelling of Christ in the soul; and * Christ 
in the soul is an inspiration/ 
Is your heart pure?" 

Anon, 

APRIL 30, 

" Fear thou the Lord, and a good blessing shall 
come."— Prov. xxiv. 21, 25. 

"It is not always easy to discern the will of God, 
but if the fountain of our life is kept pure, the water of 
life must flow from it, and our day's work contribute 
to the great stream of life that flows out from the city 
of God for the healing of the nations; and in this stream 
all our own little trials get turned into gold/' 

H, Monsell, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



67 



MAY I. 

" Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, 
and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out." 
— Deut. xxviii. 6. 

" Yet, thou must assuredly be converted into the 
blessedness which the Lord promises, as much as into 
righteousness, for there is a blessedness which consists 
not in pleasant associations, or joyful emotions. Give 
thyself in obedience to divine grace, and it will present 
thee one day with a crown of glory, after having pre- 
viously forgiven thee all thy sin and hsaled all thy 
infirmity." 

Stier, 

MAY 2. 

" Blessed are the meek."— Matt. v. 5. 

" The Lord lifteth up the meek."— Ps. cxlvii. 6. 

'* The meek in the school of Jesus, for out of that 
meekness grows finally greatness of soul. 

The sanctified and loftiness of desire which as- 
pires earnestly toward that w^hich is right, and hence 
is blessed of the Lord." 

Nitzsch. 



68 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



MAY 3. 

" Blessed is the man who maketh the Lord his 
trust." — Ps. xL 4. 

" Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose 
mind is stayed on Thee." — Is. xxvi. 3. 

So measureless and priceless are the blessings 
which the Comforter would bestow, that our Lord 
assures His disciples it was expedient for them that 
He should go away ; for, Christ said, * Unless I go 
away the Comforter will not come to you, but if I de- 
part 1 will send Him to you.' Has this blessed Com- 
forter come to you ? Have you opened your heart to 
give the Holy Spirit entrance ?" 

y. Hare, 

MAY 4. 

Thou shalt eat the labor of thine hands ; thus 
shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord." 
Ps. cxxviii. 2, 4. 

' Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth.' 
Sow for time, and probably you will succeed in time. 
Sow the seeds of life — humbleness, pure-heartedness, 
love, — and in the long eternity which is before the 
soul, every minutest grain will come up again with an 
increase of thirty, sixty, or a hundred fold." 

F, W, RoberUo7i, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



69 



MAY 5. 

Blessed with all spiritual blessings." — Eph. 

i. 3. 

When Christ was upon earth in sight, those who 
sought Him, might seem indeed to be kept waiting 
for the trial of their faith, but were sure to find Him 
at last; and finding Him, to find health and consola- 
tion. And so it is, even more surely, now that He is 
nearer to us than ever ; though out of sight, His gra- 
cious invitation is, * O tarry the Lord's leisure ; be 
strong, and He shall comfort thine heart.' " 

Keble, 

MAY 6. 

" God, even our God, shall bless us. God shall 
bless us." — Ps. Izvii. 6, 7. 

" My blessing will come, I know, 
Come early or late. 
Hands are not lifted in vain 

For Him to fill. 
I will lift mine, oh, once and again, 
And trust Him still." 

Anon, 

" Hope is the cordial of the human heart." 

Burns, 



70 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



MAY 7. 

" Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God 
of all comfort/' — 2 COR. i. 3. 

God is here spoken of as the source of all consola- 
tion — in His covenant relation, that is, as the ' God 
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.' " 

Remember, — All God's mercies, and all His com- 
forts, come to us only through the channel provided 
by the plan of grace in Jesus Christ. The blessing of 
consolation is contained in Him, and He will give 
comfort to all that mourn — even the garment of praise 
for heaviness." 

Anon, 

MAY 8. 

Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he 
that doeth righteousness." — Ps. cvi. 3. 

Gentleness diffuses a blessed calm over the nature. 
Love is the atmosphere of Heaven. Long-suffering 
and meekness counteract all those distresses — and 
they are innumerable — which arise from pride, anger, 
and revenge. Peace is but the Scriptural name for the 
entire result of combined and blessed satisfactions in 
the heart." 

y. W. Alexander, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



71 



MAY 9. 

" Blessings shall come on thee, and overtake 
thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the Voice of the 
Lord thy God."— Deut. xxviii. 2. 

**A11 the blessings of the Gospel are for 'whoso- 
ever will.* Are you willing? — then they are for you. 

Very serious and reverent must you be when thus 
blessed. Obedient you must be, dutiful, resolved, 
courageous, the wings of your heart ever stretched 
out in act to fly swiftly wheresoever and whensoever 
He may send you." 

Anon. 

MAY 10. 

" Thou hast blessed the work of his hands/*— 
Job i. 10. 

*'Just as labor, the great curse of the world, has 
proved its greatest blessing, developing out of its cares 
and toils and duties the highest civilization of man — 
so He who wore the crown of thorns can bring by His 
gracious work of salvation good out of evil, beauty 
out of ashes, and by His blessing make all the needy 
wildernesses of the world rejoice and blossom." 

MacrniiJan. 



72 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



MAY II. 

" Blessed is the man watching daily at my 
gates." — Prov. viii. 34. 

Remember, — Let prayers for blessings always be 
succeeded by praises. 

** Whatever you do for the Lord, do in the name of 
the Lord, that is, referring to His authority, expecting 
His blessing, and seeking His honor." 

Christian'' s Pocket-Book, 



MAY 12. 

" Bless the Lord. He triest the heart, and hast 
pleasure in uprightness." — i Chron. xxix. 17, 20. 

** In the path of duty, God promises His special 
protection ; He will keep us safe and bless us. All 
whom God loves He employs ; every saint has some- 
thing to do, or suffer, for God's glory." 

Anon, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



MAY 13. 

" Blessed is he that considereth the poor : he 
shall be blessed upon the earth." — Ps. xli. i, 2. 

There is nothing like the blessedness of uplifting 
Christianity, which like the Master goes forth to seek 
and to save those who are lost. 

It is in such work that the power of a living Gos- 
pel is seen, and it is such work our Lord promises to 
bless." 

Anon, 

MAY 14. 

" And He led them out as far as to Bethany, 
and He lifted up His hands and blessed them." — • 
Luke xxiv. 50. 

" In all the world's history was there ever a scene 
so tender, so beautiful ? Christ's sublime mission had 
been accomplished, He had been crucified, and had 
risen from the dead. The hour had come for His re- 
turn to the Father, — it only remains to say ' Farewell,' 
— and 'lifting up His hands He blessed them,' and 
that blessing remains a blessing for Christ's followers 
to the end of time. It rests upon us." 

y. Chaplin, 



74 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



MAY 15. 

" The fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of 
Christ." — Rom. xv. 29. 

Who can measure the blessed life-giving power 
which flows from the revelation of the heart of God 
upon the Cross of Calvary ? It kindles our desires 
and our hopes. It sweeps away the mighty barrier of 
doubt and dread, and draws us gently but resistlessly 
to our Father's breast. It speaks to every downcast 
trembling child of man, saying, * Fear not, for I am 
thy God and thy Redeemer.' " 

H. J. Van Dyke. 

MAY 16. 

" God blessed the seventh day and sanctified 
it."— Gen. ii. 3. 

Every Sunday of your life He invites you, *Come 
unto me, and rest/ Try to regard every Sunday as a 
step toward Heaven, and by His grace He will make 
it so, for His will is to save, forgive, sanctify, and 
bless us forever, if we prevent Him not by refusing to 
improve the helps and opportunities He giveth." 

Keble, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



75 



MAY 17. 

" The Lord shall bless thee in the land which 
the Lord thy God giveth thee, if thou shalt 
keep the commandments of the Lord." — Deut. 
xxviii. 8, 9. 

" Temporary afflictions may break over the heads 
of Christ's people, but the nature of the covenant is 
such that they can not be unsafe. The very hairs of 
their heads are all numbered. They are the objects 
of an everlasting love. This comfort, therefore, may 
be taken by the humblest believer, from his connec- 
tion with a covenant which is well ordered and sure." 

y. Alexander, 

MAY 18. 

" Bless them that curse you, and pray for them 
who despitefully use you." — Luke vi. 28. 

Whenever those who are Christians suffer, there 
is Christ. 

* ' There is no affliction that can befall us that is too 
great for His grace. There are wounds of soul which 
are greater than all wounds of body. The spirit of a 
man will sustain his infirmity, but a wounded spirit 
who can bear? None, unless sustained by Him, who 
healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their 
wounds." 

jf. W. Alexander, 



76 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



MAY 19. 

" God made promise, saying, Surely blessing I 
will bless thee.'* — Heb. vi. 14. 

Blessed be His Holy name, His ways are not as 
our ways, nor His thoughts as our thoughts. He con- 
descends to reason with the wayward child, and to 
bring His promises into view. Such blessed promises 
— * Behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all 
places whither thou goest * Be strong, and of a good 
courage '; * Fear not, I will never, never leave thee, I 
will never forsake thee.* " 

Anon, 

MAY 20. 

" Fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless 
thee." — Gen. xxvi. 24. 

** The child of God is assured that all things work 
together for good; in this is plainly included the pledge 
that chastisements and afflictions shall eventually prove 
a blessing." 

y. W. Alexander, 

Remember, — ■ 

" He who hath led, will lead, 

He who hath blessed, will bless." 

Anon, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



11 



MAY 21. 

"The Lord will give strength unto His people ; 
the Lord will bless His people with peace." — Ps. 
xxix. II. 

" The rugged road of the Cross on which we stumble 
and fall with bleeding feet, has been sanctified and in 
the end smoothed to us by the blessed passage of One 
who was made perfect thereon," 

Ano7z, 

*' He liveth always, faileth never, 
So rest in Him, to-day, forever." 

Anon, 

MAY 22. 

** Blessed are they that keep my ways." — Pro v. 
viii, 32. 

If thou wilt but go on with thy duties, desiring to 
love — in such cases the desire of loving is love in His 
sight ; the irksome dullness and dryness is the thorn in 
thy flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet thee. But 
fear not : God's grace is sufficient for thee ; His 
strength will be made perfect in thy weakness. Only 
set yourself in earnest to obey His voice. Say to Him 
night and day, * Behold the servant of the Lord, be it 
unto me according to Thy Word.' " 

Kebie. 



78 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



MAY 23. 

Watch therefore, for ye know not what hour 
your Lord doth come. Blessed is that servant 
whom His Lord when He cometh shall find so 
doing." — Matt. xxiv. 42, 46. 

'* A short race, a rough pilgrimage, a dangerous voy- 
age, a hard day's work. And then a glorious prize, a 
happy end, a good home, a complete victory, and an 
eternal reward. Fear not, the end crowns the whole.*' 
CJiristian'' s Pocket-Book, 

MAY 24. 

The trying of your faith worketh patience. 
Blessed is the man that endureth."-— James i. 3, 12. 

Blessed affliction has this result, it shows us where 
our refuge is. The. lesson is not to be learned at once, 
but the moment is a joyful, blessed one when it is ac- 
quired. The Psalmist knew it, and in his affliction he 
cried to God, ' I was brought low, and Thou helped me. 
Return unto thy rest, O my soul.' 

It was the sense of God's mercy to him in affliction 
which led him to return to God as his rest." 

A?ion. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



79 



MAY 25. 

*' Pray with the understanding, else when thou 
shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occu- 
pieth the room of the unlearned, say Amen ? 
I Cor. xiv. 15, 16, 

" There can be no comfort in prayer when there is 
not a belief that prayer is heard and will be answered. 
The believer who comes to God by prayer, and seeks 
some promise suitable to his needs, need not search 
long. Blessed be God, so rich are the treasures of His 
Word." 

Alexajtder, 

MAY 26, 

" It is more blessed to give than to receive." — 
Acts xx. 35. 

"Give then to your power; yea, and beyond your 
power, and He will multiply your seed sown, and in- 
crease the fruit of your righteousness, 

*' For, as Bishop Wilson said, * God will be no man's 
debtor.' * He that hath pity on the poor lendeth unto 
the Lord, and look, what he layeth out, it- shall be paid 
him again with large increase,' " 

Ano7i, 



8o 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



MAY 27. 

"Blessed is the king of Israel." — John xii. 13. 

**The king — Christ Jesus ! — and yet the One of all 
love ! 

Think you, would it be possible for one moment 
to discern our Master's eye fixed on us in love, and not 
to catch some faint spark of loving thought in our own 
hearts ? 

Surely, when our Saviour hath let us know that 
He loveth us : from that day forth we have a deeper 
and more serious account to give of all our conduct 
towards God, and more than ever we had before." 

Keble. 

MAY 28. 

"Christ hath redeemed us, that the blessing of 
Abraham might come on the Gentiles, that we 
might receive the promise of the Spirit through 
faith." — Gal. iii. 14. 

' ' ' They which be of faith are blessed with faithful 
Abraham. We, through the Spirit, wait for the hope 
of righteousness by faith '; and ' faith purifies the heart; 
gives you to realize the presence of a holy God.' Let 
your prayer be, then, ' Lord, increase my faith * Lord, 
I believe, help Thou mine unbelief.'" 

Anon. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



8i 



MAY 29. 

Blessed be Thy glorious Name, which is ex- 
alted above all blessing and praise. Thou hast 
made heaven, the earth, the seas, and all that is 
in them, and Thou preserveth them all." — Neh. 
ix. 5, 6. 

*' The invisible things of Him may be from the crea- 
tion of the world clearly seen and understood by the 
things that are made." What a blessing this is, We 
may walk in the midst of this world of His, not 
thereby shut out from Him, but seeing Him on all 
sides. Yet beauty is not religion, but it tells of relig- 
ion. It speaks of God." 

Rawlinson, 

MAY 30. 

"Prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of 
hosts, if I will not open you the windows of 
heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there 
shall not be room enough to receive it."— Mal. 
iii. 10. 

*' But remember, we shall not find strength as we go, 
nor shall we find God at last, spite this blessed promise, 
if we be not careful to go very reverently." 

Kehle, 

6 



82 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



MAY 31. 

"He who blesseth himself in the earth shall 
bless himself in the God of truth." — Is. Ixv. 16. 

*' We are too apt to forget amid the pressure of life's 
burdens, that the Divine Love is personal, individual, 
discriminating, and unchanging, and that through ways 
that we know not, the Lord is leading us on." 

Anon, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



83 



JUNE I. 

" Consecrate yourselves to-day to the Lord, that 
He may bestow upon you a blessing this day." — 
Ex. xxxii. 29. 

Satisfaction plenty, joy, and honor, these are all 
in the bond of this promised blessing. 

I do not know why we are so slow to take God at 
His word. It seems easy enough to expect blessings 
at the hand of earthly friends, and yet we hold back 
when the Lord commands. * Ask, and ye shall receive 
* Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.' " 

Anon, 

JUNE 2. 

"The Lord shall greatly bless thee, if thou 
hearken unto the voice of the Lord." — Deut. 
XV. 4, 5. 

" God's blessing will always be easier and more real 
to us in proportion as we dwell habitually upon the pro- 
founder and more spiritual of His mercies. 

And the more spiritual a man's religion is, the more 
expansive and broad it always is." 

Phillips Bi'ooks, 



84 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



JUNE 3. 

"Blessed be thou, . . . thou shalt do great 
things, and also shalt prevail." — i Sam. xxvi. 25. 

Many a time our lives are all dark with sorrow or 
perplexity or disappointment ; but hereafter these 
same lives may be fragrant with the blessings these 
sad days are holding in reserve for us.*' 

Afion. 

Remember, **the consciousness of duty performed 
gives music at midnight." 

Herlei't, 

JUNE 4. 

"Lord, save Thy people, and bless Thine in- 
heritance ; feed them also, and lift them up for- 
ever/' — Ps. xxviii. 9. 

Turn your mind often to the blessings you have 
enjoyed, to the grace which Christ J esus has given you, 
to the better thoughts with which He has inspired you, 
to the sins which He has forgiven you, to the promise 
He has made you, to the extraordinary help He has 
afforded you. Count up your blessings ! " 

Fenelon. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



85 



JUNE 5. 

" Blessed of the better." — Heb. vii. 7. 

* * Christ in you. From this union seems to flow every 
blessing. Oh, what a world of glory is opened to us 
in these words, * My beloved is mine and I am his.' 
Nothing can separate us from Jesus. Nothing extracts 
Jesus from the cup presented. Laden with Him, every 
event must be full of love, though perhaps blessings in 
disguise." 

Powerscourt. 

JUNE 6. 

" If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the 
Lord thy God blessed shalt thou be." — Deut. 
xxviii. 2, 3. 

" There is no greater gift or possession than to be- 
lieve God speaks to us. If we believe that, we are 
already blessed." 

LutJier. 

" Ah ! the wonderful reviving power in a single one 
of the Lord's words. They are heavenly manna sweet 
to the taste." 

Anna Warner, 



86 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



JUNE 7. 

The Lord shall greatly bless thee." — Deut. 
XV. 4. 

" Blessed are ye that weep now, whether in contra- 
diction or bereavement, or sickness or fear. Every 
visitation is an advance in your walk of faith. Every 
chastisement is sent to open a new page in the great 
Book of Life, to show you things within you which you 
knew not. He is clearing the power of sight in you, 
and that power of sight is love. The more fervently 
you cleave to Him by love, the clearer shall be your 
blessed vision of His beauty." 

Anon. 

JUNE 8. 

Blessing, and glory, and honor, and power be 
unto Him who sitteth on the throne, and to the 
Lamb forever."~REV. v. 13. 

* * Ah ! what a Gospel lies within those words ! A 
Gospel? Aye, if you will receive it, the root of all 
other possible Gospels and good-news for all," 

Kmgs/ey. 

** Know, 

Who worship God shall find Him." 

A?ion, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



87 



JUNE 9. 

Men shall be blessed in Him." — Ps. Ixxii. 17. 

We are to love what He loves, and do what He 
commands, and suffer what pain or sorrow He sends, 
and carry what burdens He lays on us, and in all and 
through all to rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And 
remember, every action and every passive grace will 
contribute something to the completeness that is set 
in obedience to the will of God, and blessed in Him, 
and blessed by Him." 

Raleigh. 

JUNE 10. 

"He doth bless the sacrifice." — i Sam. ix. 13. 

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a 
broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt 
not despise." — PsA. li. 17. 

"There is something better than happiness, even 
the blessedness which comes tons in our worst griefs.'* 

" We can never know without sorrow the blessedness 
of the promise, ' Lo ! I am with you alway.' " 

Elle7t Watson, 



88 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



JUNE II. 

"He will love thee and bless thee." — Deut. 
vii. 13. 

**Our blessed Lord left us a legacy, * M}^ peace I 
give unto you,' to which is annexed that which is ready 
to make us shrink, for He adds, ' In the world ye shall 
have tribulation.' In our Christian journeying there are 
many spots where we make an attempt to rest, but we 
are made to feel our mistake ; and yet when thus made 
to feel the rest is not here, we are richly blessed, for in 
every disappointment we are reminded of His promise, 
* In me ye shall have peace.' " 

Mrs, Hawkes, 

JUNE 12. 

" Blessed be the Lord, He is the saving strength 
of His anointed." — Ps. xxviii. 6-8. 

You need feel no fear, for help in time of need will 
be afforded; though the billows rise high and look dark 
and dismal, they will not be suffered to overflow^ your 
soul. 

**This safety is the blessedness of having built on 
the Rock which no storms or tempests can shake. All 
we have to do is to cling there, under the wings of 
Almighty Love." 

Anon, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



89 



JUNE 13. 

*' The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away, 
blessed be the name of the Lord." — Job i. 21. 

There is healing in the bitter cup. God takes away 
or removes far from us those we love, as hostages of 
our faith. And faith is that precious alchemy which 
transmutes grief into joy, for by it we look forward 
to a re-union in another world where there will be no 
separation." 

Anon, 



JUNE 14. 

" He took the five loaves and the two fishes, and 
looking up to heaven He blessed them, and they 
all did eat and were filled." — Luke ix. 16, 17. 

When we spread our insufficiency before God, and 
break it into its worthlessness for His blessing to enter, 
then it shall return richer than it came, for the great 
Creative Spirit is ever ready to touch the minute grain 
of manna in the heart, and make it numerous to shine 
like the stars." 

James Martineau. 



go 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



JUNE 15. 

Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the 
first resurrection." — Rev. xx. 6. 

This is the prerogative of noble natures, that their 
departure to higher regions exercises a no less blessed 
influence than did their abode on earth ! that they 
lighten us from above like stars by which to steer our 
course." 

Goethe, 

Let them immortal wake 
Among the breathless flowers of Paradise, 
Where angel songs of welcome, .... 
.... To celestial joy their souls invite. 

JUNE 16. 

" Blessed are those servants whom the Master 
when He cometh shall find watching." — Luke 
xii. 37. 

Are ye like unto men that wait for their Lord? 

Remember, * the things which master the slave are 
mastered by the friend. Fidelity is mastery. Christ's 
touch makes you master ; through Him you are master 
of each day's trials and burdens. You mount on them 
a step nearer Heaven. Nothing can trouble him to 
whom Christ says, * I go to prepare a place for you.' 
And he says it to you ! " 

M. R. Vincent, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



JUNE 17. 

" Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he 
that doeth righteousness at all times." — Ps. cvi. 3. 

**It becomes us to fall in with God's order, and to 
attach to the separate steps the same importance that 
He does. If we do this, we shall be led to develop the 
resources of single points of effort. We shall find more 
joy and success in our daily lives. We shall know 
the blessedness of the assurance, * My steps are or- 
dered of the Lord, He uphoideth me.' '* 

Anon, 

JUNE 18. 
" Bless ye the Lord."— Jud. v. 9. 

"Blessed is he who hath said, * My grace is suffi- 
cient for thee.' Sufficient to fill all the good pleasures of 
His goodness, and the work of faith with power. Suf- 
ficient to uphold you in all conflicts and combats with 
your spiritual enemies, and to make you more than 
conquerors. 

**Oh! for that faith that is able even to come up 
from the wilderness leaning on the Beloved." 

Mrs. Hawkes, 



92 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



JUNE 19. 

"Now bless the Lord your God." — i Chron. 
xxix. 20. 

A clear and thankful view of God here is the same 
in kind as will be the vision of God in His glory. The 
thrill of love to Christ is the beginning of the rapture 
of the blessed in heaven, the foregleam of entering into 
the nearer presence of the joy of our blessed Lord." 

Anon, 

JUNE 20. 

" If we love one another God dwelleth in us." — 
I John iv. 12. 

Blessed is that servant whom his Lord when 
He Cometh shall find so doing." — Luke xii. 43. 

If we strive to bless others, we shall surely be 
blessed ourselves. 

Let us this day make some one happy, and begin 
right around us, not looking away for some great 
thing to accomplish ; but taking the duty nearest to 
us, do that, and then we shall see the next." 

A 71 on. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



93 



JUNE 21. 

Blessed is the man that heareth me, watch- 
ing daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my 
doors, for whoso findeth me, findeth life." — ^Prov. 
viii. 34, 35. 

Let us aim to find Christ in every sphere of our 
life, then He will open to us the fountains of His 
grace, and we shall know the blessedness of a calm 
onward guiding, leading us from day to day, and from 
duty to duty." 

Raleigk, 

JUNE 22. 

" In His time .... He shall show who is the 
blessed and only Potentate, .... who only hath 
immortality.' —I Tim. vi. 15, 16. 

Remember, — " The manifestation of Christ's right- 
eousness is not merely in order to reveal the sin of 
the world, but in order to scatter and confound it, and 
drive it away. He came to cast out sin ; yea, and He 
did cast it out, and hereby He gave a pledge that it 
should be cast out from the souls of His saints, and 
of all who become partakers of His blessed and glo- 
rious redemption." 

Hare, 



94 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



JUNE 23. 

" Blessed are the peace-makers.'* — Matt. v. 9. 

Make peace, so shalt thou be the manifest child of 
the God of peace. 

*' And who can diffuse peace, except through that 
peace of God into which he has entered ? 

' * Ponder the blessedness of him whose character 
is perfected through peace-making in this evil world ! *' 

Anon, 

JUNE 24. 

" Blessed are they that do His commandments, 
that they may have a right to the tree of life, and 
may go in through the gates into the' city." — 
Rev. xxii. 14. 

Let your thoughts go There, whither your feet 
would go, even within to the city of the living God. 

"And remember our Heaven is bought for us by 
Christ ; the height and depth of His love which passeth 
knowledge, the treasure of His grace, the riches of 
His redemption have built that city which can not be 
moved." 

Atma Wariter, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



95 



JUNE 25. 

" When the Ear heard me, then it blessed me." 
— Job xxix. II. 

Ponder, — The blessing of peace, the being at 
rest in God, satisfied with that fruition which blesseth 
all who hunger for God, and is the highest form of 
communion with Him. 

*' Peace when all the horizon is clear, all the winds 
are still, the ocean at rest, and birds of peace sit brood- 
ing on the charmed wave." 

Alexander Maclaren, 

JUNE 26. 

" I will bless thee." — Ex. xx. 24. 

The gift of faith is God's blessing; for by faith we 
receive the power to cast away our sins, and to live a 
life of holiness and love. Through faith we are lifted 
out of ourselves. Through faith we become members 
of the everlasting body of Christ ! the Spirit of Christ 
passes into us ! and thus in the fulness of time we too 
shall go with Him to His Father." 

Ha7-e, 



96 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



JUNE 27. 

"The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken 
away ; blessed be the name of the Lord." — Job 
i. 21. 

** It is the Lord, let Him do what seemeth good. 
Our part is to pray that we may bear patiently flvhat- 
ever trials may be allotted us, firmly trusting in His 
word that all things shall work together for good to 
them that love Him." 

Ha7i7iah More. 

JUNE 28. 

Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, 
and whose sins are covered." — Rom. iv. 7. 

Remember, — The way to this blessing is, simply 
to trust the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Christ in one word has purchased a full forgive- 
ness, if you and I are willing to receive it ; and faith, 
simple faith, is the only thing required. All things 
are ready; only believe, and be satisfied. He has pro- 
vided a garment of righteousness to clothe us, He has 
opened a fountain of living water to cleanse us." 

Ryle, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



97 



JUNE 29. 

" Ye shall serve the Lord your God, and He 
shall bless thy bread and thy water." — Ex. 
xxiii. 25. 

Blessed is He who hath said/ Whosoever drinketh 
of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst.' 

** Have you quaffed this water that through green 
pastures glides ? 

The water whose blessedness a world's thirst can 
not drain." 

Lucy Larcom, 

JUNE 30. 

" Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the 
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation 
of the world." — Matt. xxv. 34. 

Remember there is room in Heaven for all 
individual differences, and preparation made to satisfy 
each one. Think of these restless cravings answered ; 
think of these longing hearts at rest, in full and abso- 
lute content. We awake in the likeness of Christ, to 
bear the image of the Heavenly. Think for a little 
while what that will be ! '* 

The Other Shore. 

7 



98 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



JULY I. 

" The Lord thy God bless thee in all that thou 
doest.'* — Deut. XV. i8. 

Sometimes we do so wish we had something to 
give to God for all His Love, and it is a great blessing 
when He puts His hand on a gift, and says, * This 
will I have.' 

" V/hen we can make the response with our whole 
heart we enter into His peace, and learn to know what 
the promise is, ' My peace I give unto thee/ " 

H. Monsell. 

JULY 2. 

" The Almighty shall bless thee with blessings 
of Heaven above, and blessings of the deep that 
lieth under." — Gen. xlix. 25. 

* All things work together for good to them that 
love God.' If we love God, this is the position. 
If we love Him, all is well. Thus working things, 
which we never could resist if we met them in our 
own strength alone, now produce nothing but good 
for us. 'Does the storm blow? He maketh the 
storm a calm. Is it night ? — Unto the upright there 
ariseth light in darkness,' Trust the ever blessed 
God." 

Raleigh. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



99 



JULY 3. 

** A faithful man shall abound with blessings." 
— Prov. xxviii. 20. 

Let a man begin in earnest with, I ought ; he will 
end by God's grace, if he perseveres, with the full 
blessedness of, I will." 

P, W, Robertson, 

** Oh, weary soul, toil on ; His love restraineth, 
And blesseth thee. 
He blesseth all things." 

Anon. 

JULY 4. 

" Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant 
mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope 
by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the 
dead." — i Pet. i. 3. 

** The atonement is for the whole world. A bless- 
ing for all ; a blessing large and ample — for Christ 
died for all. Press forward then to make the blessing 
known, and to help forward the conquest of the world 
by the cross of Christ." 

Newman Smyth. 



100 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



JULY 5, 

" Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall 
be comforted." — Matt. v. 4. 

Happy are they only who have sorrow sweetened 
by this divine promise. 

" They glory in tribulation. They have storms, but 

they have both an anchor and a haven The soul 

recognizes the goodness of the one, and faith enters 
the stronghold. In the Lord Jehovah is everlasting 
strength." 

y, W. Alexander, 

JULY 6. 

Bless, Lord, his substance." — Deut. xxxiii. 11. 

*'But the supply of food and raiment is not the 
only temporal blessing which a believer may want. 
Other things there are too, and in regard to all, our 
only security is in having God with us. This He gra- 
ciously promises. It is our part to lay hold on this 
immutable Word. It has been the stay of thousands ; 
it is strong enough to be ours.'* 

Anon, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



lOI 



JULY 7. 

" In all places where I record my name I will 
come unto thee, and I will bless thee." — Ex. 
XX. 24. 

Think how the name of Him, the Am," is re- 
corded in the Book ! 

The power of the Bible to cheer the afflicted is 
one of its chiefest glories. It is the Bible only that 
can give us the blessed assurance that * our light afflic- 
tion which is but for a moment, worketh for us a 
far more exceeding, even an eternal weight of glory ; 
while we look not at the things which are seen, but at 
the things which are not seen ; for the things which 
are seen are temporal, but the things which are not 
seen are eternal.* " 

Blaikie. 

JULY 8. 

Now, the end of the commandment is charity 
out of a pure heart. According to the glorious 
Gospel of the blessed God." — i Tim. i. 5, 11. 

Remember, — "The Author and Giver of all good 
things, expects us to grow and improve. He offers to 
increase in us true religion, to nourish us in all good- 
ness. The Gospel is a call to progress and improve- 
ment ; it bids us never tire in our works of charity, 
but as fast as one kind purpose is accomplished, set 
about another. Let charity, gentleness, and love, be 
as the breath you draw." Keble, 



I02 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



JULY 9. 

" God be merciful unto us, and bless us, and 
show us the light of His countenance." — Ps. 
Ixvii. I. 

** God, even our own God, shall give us His blessing. 
God shall bless us ! and all the ends of the world 
shall fear Him." 

The Psalter, 

Remember, — 

** There is a blessing for every woe, a promise for 
every prayer." 

Anon, 

JULY 10. 

" Let it please Thee to bless the house of Thy 
servant, and with Thy blessing let the house of 
Thy servant be blessed." — 2 Sam. vii. 29. 

God, year after year, blesses us with the same 
home-feeling in His earth. And is not this a strong 
argument that He will keep the old home-feeling for 
us in heaven ; that we shall find ourselves beyond the 
river of death in the midst of all the former familiar 
things of our life, just as when we pass out of the 
gloom of any fear, we find ourselves in the midst of 
former scenes." 

Macmillan, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



103 



JULY II. 

" I will bless thee, and thou shalt be a bless- 
ing." — Gen. xii. 2. 

If God has blessings in store for us, He will not 
suffer us to rest until He brings us into possession of 
them. 

*^ We are sure of deliverance if God is our Saviour. 
He will deliver and bless us in six troubles, and in 
seven shall no evil touch us." 

Ano7t. 



JULY 12. 

" My soul doth magnify the Lord ; for, behold, 
from henceforth all generations shall call me 
blessed."— Luke i. 46, 48. 

Ponder this divine hymn of the blessed Virgin — 
it is a pattern for all Christians, for it sets forth the 
blessed duty of making the most of the love of God 
shed abroad in our hearts." 

Kehle, 



I04 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



JULY 13. 

I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me." 
— Gen. xxxii. 26. 

*• Thou blessed Lord, wilt Thou bear my griefs and 
carry my sorrows ? And may I look to Thee, not only 
as my Saviour from sin, but as my sympathizing Com- 
forter too ? 

" Blessed Jesus, Thou dost not chide my tears. 
Verily Thou dost bear my grief." 

y. P, Thompson, 



JULY 14. 

"The generations of the upright shall be 
blessed." — Ps. cxii. 2. 

" O child of God, 

For nothing careful be ! 

But cast thou all thy care on Him 

Who always cares for thee." — 

** Bright blessed hour — thus to trust — 

Blessed promise — * Shall be blessed.' " 

Anon. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



105 



JULY 15. 

" The Lord bless thee, and keep thee." — Numb. 
vi. 24. 

**The Lord hath prepared blessedness and joy for 
thee, where Christ is the Sun, the Life, and the All 
in all." 

Perthes. 

"We must wait for Heaven. But God's grace and 
blessing we have always." 

A7ion. 



JULY 16. 

" Bless ye the Lord." — Judges v. 9. 

We shall bless God in heaven, and ought to bless 
Him on earth, for all the trials we meet along our way 
there. It is His doing, therefore it must be right. 
We should see not only the hand of God, but the 
hand of our Heavenly Father full of mercy and loving- 
kindness in all that befalls us ; we should believe it to 
be best for us, because it is His will." 

G. W, Bethune. 



io6 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



JULY 17. 

"The Lord is with thee ; blessed art thou among 

women." — Luke i. 28. 

** Say of me, as the angel said, * Thou art 
The blessedest of women * — blessedest, 
Not holiest, not noblest, no high name 
Whose height, misplaced, may pierce me like a shame. 
When I sit meek in Heaven." 

Mrs. Bi'owning, 

"Who can find a virtuous woman ? Her price is 
above rubies, her children rise up and call her blessed." 

Prov. xxxi. 10, 28. 

JULY 18. 

Thou shalt fear the Lord ! for I am the Lord 
your God. I will command my blessing upon 
you." — Lev. xxv. 21. 

Remember in order to find the blessings, in order to 
profit by God's dealings with us, we must study to 
turn them into means of spiritual good. ** We must 
concern ourselves that both the sunshine and the 
shower, the calm and the storm, may do us good. 
By indifference a season fraught with blessing may 
pass over us without leaving one lasting impression." 

y, E'emzedy, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



107 



JULY 19. 

" Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his 
garments." — Rev. xvi. 15. 

Watcheth ! Possessing the soul in quietness be- 
fore the Lord." 

Do you know what Luther said ? * Suffer and be 
still, tell no man thy sorrow, trust in God. His help 
will not fail thee.' This is what Scripture calls ' keep- 
ing silence before God.' To talk much of one's 
sorrow makes one weak ; but to tell one's sorrow to 
Him who heareth in secret makes one strong and 
calm." 

Tholuck, 

JULY 20. 

" Blessed is the man that endureth tempta- 
tion." — James i. 12. 

** Blessed assurance, * Christ was in all points 
tempted,' and we can never know the sorrow into 
which the * Man of Sorrows ' can not enter. 

We can never understand the depth and precious- 
ness of His sympathy until we come to need it. 

The sympathy of man is cheering and comforting, 
but it is finite, limited. The sympathy of Jesus is 
alone exalted, pure, infinite." 



io8 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



JULY 21. 

" The Lord is good to all. And His tender 
mercies are over all His works. O Lord, Thy 
saints shall bless Thee.'* — Ps. cxlv. 9, lo. 

" Remember, let not the blessings we daily receive 
from God, make us not to value them because they be 
so common. Let us not forget to praise Him for 
them all." 

Isaac Walton. 



JULY 22. 

" Blessed are your eyes, for they see." — Matt. 
xiii. 16. 

'*Walk as children of Light! This is the simple 
and beautiful substance of your Christian duty ; this 
is your bright privilege." 

Hare. 

And remember, every day is a little life, and our 
whole life but a day repeated. Those that dare lose 
a day are dangerously prodigal of their blessings." 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



109 



JULY 23. 

" Bless, Lord, his substance, and accept the 
work of his hands." — Deut. xxxiii. 11. 

Blessings ever wait on virtuous deeds. And 
though late, a sure reward succeeds." 

Congreve. 

Unto every one that hath shall be given. * God 
blesses even the generous thought,' how much more 
the generous deed." 



JULY ^4. 

" Bless ye the Lord, all ye His hosts, ye minis- 
ters of His that do His pleasure."— PSo ciii. 21. 

" The Lord can prevent trouble, or remove trouble ; 
but what is best of all, He can sanctify troubles, mak= 
ing them real blessings, and that is what He out of 
infinite Love generally chooses to do.'* 

Christian's Peckel^Eovk, 



no 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



JULY 25. 

" David describeth the blessedness of the man, 
unto whom God imputeth righteousness without 
works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities 
are forgiven." — Rom. iv. 6, 7. 

The weapons of our warfare are spiritual through 
God. 'Tis the Spirit that gives them their success 
and efficacy. There is spiritual power in the presence 
of Christ. O happy and blessed conquest ! O blessed 
victory when the conqueror and the conquered both 
triumph together ! " 

Anon, 

JULY 26. 

" Blessed are the poor in spirit." — Matt. v. 3. 

Blessed are the humble and lowly in their own 
eyes. 

"Lord, grant us that broken and contrite spirit 
which in Thy sight is blessed. May we be blessed 
now, and blessed eternally. 

" Blessed Healer ! all our burdens lighten ; 
Give us peace, we pray ; 
Keep us near Thee, till the morn shall brighten, 
And all mists and shadows flee away." 

Anon, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



Ill 



JULY 27. 

Blessed are ye when men shall revile you." — 
Matt. v. ii. 

" It is the will of God that we should rejoice in the 
days of persecution ; for when persecution sets in, and 
the soldiers of Christ give proof of their courage, the 
heavens will open, and they will enter in to receive 
their crowns of victor}\ The great Pattern of humil- 
ity and patience Himself set the example, teaching us 
what we must do, and suffering what we are to suffer. 
Follow^ His blessed leadership." 

Sister Augustine, 



JULY 28. 

" Blessed is the man who maketh the Lord his 
trust." — Ps. xl. 4. 

** Give heart, hand, life to Christ, never forgetting 
the object of life." And remember this, "true love, 
peaceful, joyous, blessed on earth, leads directly to 
that river of pleasure, which is at God's right hand 
forevermore." 

W. Adafns, 



112 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



JULY 29. 

" Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit." — 
Matt. xxv. 34. 

The blessed Spirit invites us toward Heaven. The 
Spirit, the Purifier, as He makes us hoher and better, 
fits us for a clearer atmosphere and nobler company. 
And through His blessed influence we may rear up 
virtues which will shed a fragrance over this sinful 
earth, and breathe a blessing on the weary hearts of 
suffering men, and make Christianity a name to be 
revered, and the true Christian one whom the eye sees 
and blesses." 

Boyd, 

JULY 30. 

O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that 
trusteth in Thee." — Ps. Ixxxiv. 12. 

O Lord of hosts. Thou God of grace, 

How blest, divinely blest, is he 
Who trusts Thy love, and seeks Thy face, 
And fixes all his hopes on Thee." 
Whatever we trust with the Lord is safe ; w^hatev^er 
we trust the Lord for is certain, and while we trust 
the Lord, we have peace." 

Anon, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



113 



JULY 31 

" I will open the windows of Heaven, I will 
pour on you a blessing." — Mal. iii. 10. 

'* Do you know the blessing of rolling all your cares 
on God ? He can bind up the broken-hearted, and 
comfort all who mourn. He is ever near calling us 
to come to Him, and by meekness and holiness of 
heart find rest and peace. Blessed Jesus, let not our 
confidence fail, nor our faith be wavering, but stablish, 
strengthen, settle it." 

Memorials of a Quiet Life, 



8 



114 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



AUGUST I. 

" I will bless thee." — Gen. xii. 2. 

Ponder this promise, and pray that you may never 
lose the blessing of any part of the complete mediator- 
ship of our Mediator. 

Remember everything Jesus was and did, He was 
and did for us. 

" He lived His life, He died His death, for us 

The completeness and unity of His salvation lies in 
the completeness and unity with which His whole life 
lies between us and God, so that through it God comes 
to us, and we go to God.'* 

Phillips Brooks. 

AUGUST 2. 

" Blessed is the man who trusteth in the Lord, 
. . . . for he shall be as a tree planted by the 
waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the 
river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but 
her leaf shall be green."~jER. xvii. 7, 8. 

''This perpetual freshness is one of the most at- 
tractive things in the world. He that spreadeth out 
roots by the river of peace does not even see when 
heat cometh." 

Have you the trust in the Lord that yields this bless- 
ing of ever newness of life ? 

Anon, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



115 



AUGUST 3. 

"Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us 
with benefits, even the God of our salvation." — 
Ps. Ixviii. 19. 

"The God that saves us supplies us, and if His 
mercies were not so constant, they would daily fill us 
with wonder. 

All good things come to us with Christ ! Having 
Christ, all we want is secured." 

Anon, 



AUGUST 4. 

" So will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing : 
fear not." — Zech. viii. 13. 

" There is no pardon, no blessing separate from in- 
ward improvement ; sanctity of character alone blesses ; 
each man is his own hell and his own heaven. God 
Himself can not bless you unless He gives you His 
own character. There is no good to be got from Christ 
except by being made like Him." 

F, W. Robertson. 



ii6 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



AUGUST 5. 

" The Lord will bless them that fear the Lord, 
both small and great." — Ps. cxv. 13. 

" Love and fear God with heart, soul, and strength, 
and mind, and your neighbor as yourself, and the poor 
•will bless you ; the fallen will look up in your face, as 
they looked in the face of Christ, and see pity and help 
written there. But do not think about the face itself. 
Have the angel within, and leave all else to come as it 
will ; the Lord your God will put His beauty upon you 
• — His sign of blessing.'* 

Raleigh. 

AUGUST 6. 

" He blessed and brake, and they did all eat and 
were filled." — Matt. xiv. 19, 20. 

** Christ relied on the natural hunger of human 
hearts, and trusted to the yearning soul and multiply- 
ing grace to make what He had suffice. And lo ! the 
answer to His prayer is the great continuing miracle 
of our being divinely fed. ' Angel's food ' has become 
the favorite emblem of the providing care of God — the 

fulness of Christ's spiritual blessing." 

James Maj'ti?zeau. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



117 



AUGUST 7. 

''Blessed be the Most High, whose dominion 
is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is 
from generation to generation." — Dan. iv. 34. 

**The Lord lives, and you may tell Him all your 
doubts, all your fears, all your hopes and aspirations. 

He will give the bread of life for heart-hunger, the 
water of life for the deep, inner soul thirst. 

''Lord, to whom shall I go, but unto Thee, for 
Thou hast the words of eternal life 

Ano7t. 

AUGUST 8. 

" Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the king- 
dom of God." — Luke xiv. 15. 

"These words about feasting and all that seem so 
material. 

" Yet you know all our ideas of things above must 
come through some earthly image, the city, the harp, 
the crown ; the words only give us a faint reflection of 
unutterable realities, to which in this life we can come 
no nearer. The thought of a feast was simple to Christ, 
and He enlarged on it, for He said : ' When thou 
makest a feast, call the poor, the lame, the blind, and 
thou shalt be blessed ; they can not recompense thee, 
but thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection.' " 

Anna Wariier. 



ii8 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



AUGUST 9. 

" Blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended 
in Me." — Matt. xi. 6. 

**0, may I never, never be 
Offended at Thy words or Thee, 
But steadily obedient, prove 
The blessedness of simple love." 

•* Strong love to Christ will enable us to bear any- 
thing for Christ, and to be pleased with everything in 
Christ." 

Anon. 

AUGUST 10. 

" Bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord : 
lift up your heads and bless the Lord." — Ps. 
cxxxiv. I, 2. 

We come very short of the blessedness we might 
enjoy ; but depend upon it, there are glorious things in 
the city of our God, which they who have an assured 
hope taste even in their life-time. There are lengths 
and breadths of consolation there, which it has not 
entered into your heart to conceive. There is bread 
enough and to spare in our Father's house." 

Ryle. 



A.VD A BLESSED YEAR. 



119 



AUGUST II. 

" Bless the Lord, O my soul, who satisfieth thy 
mouth with good things ; so that thy youth is re- 
newed like the eagle's." — Ps. ciii. i, 5. 

"As the Lord's mercies are new every morning, so 
those to whom they come have a perpetual freshness 
of life, untouched by the burden and heat of the day. 
Their youth is renewed ! They are like a tree planted 
by the rivers of water, they shall still bring forth fruit 
in old age." 

A7ina Warner. 

AUGUST 12. 

" Blessed is the man that walketh not in the 
counsel of the ungodly." — Ps. i. i. 

*' Remember, the first word of the Psalms is like that 
of the Sermon on the Mount — a blessing. 

"And the next beatiiude of the Psalms is that of 
him whose sin is confessed, forgiven, subdued. Thus 
David makes a declaration of the blessedness of those 
whose iniquities are dismissed, and whose sins are 
veiled off from sight." 

Witness 0/ the Psalms to Christ, 



120 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



AUGUST 13. 

" Blessed are they whose sins are covered.'* — 
Rom. iv. 7. 

Words, these, that teach a blessed lesson. 

'*And David said unto Nathan, *I have sinned 
against the Lord.* He is too deeply moved for more 
words, and as brief and simple as the confession, is 
the response, * And Nathan said unto David, The Lord 
hath put away thy sin.' How full and unconditional 
the blessing bestowed in these few words. Thus sim- 
ple and divine is the manner of pardon. In such 
short compass may the turning-point of a life lie." 

Alexander Maclaren, 

AUGUST 14. 

" Blessed is the man that walketh not in the 
counsel of the ungodly ; he shall be like a tree 
planted by the rivers of waters." — Ps. i. i, 3. 

Retire from the world and ponder this blessed- 
ness. 

"Oh! blessed freedom, that we can thus retire, 
can thus unburthen the soul, and tell all to God. 
Here at His footstool we can plead for mercy till we 
obtain the blessing." 

Hannah More. 



AI^D A BLESSED YEAR, 



121 



AUGUST 15. 

Blessed are they that mourn.' —Matt. v. 4. 

" Mourning and sorrow are in reality the acknowl- 
edged and felt contradiction of the nature that is in 
us, to the divine life which will be revealed in us. 
The mourners shall be comforted, for the Holy One 
dwelleth with those who are of a contrite and humble 
spirit, and the merciful comfort of God is nigh to every 
troubled one in his afflictions. It is but a commence- 
ment of blessedness — a beginning of consolation. But 
remember, only to sorrow that springs from this pov- 
erty of spirit is this peace given." 

Stier, 

AUGUST 16. 

" Thy heart shall not be grieved when thou 
givest, and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in 
all thy works." — Deqt. xv. 10. 

''Blessed indeed are they who follow Him 'who 
went about doing good.* Be not content to be merci- 
ful and helpful to your brethren only, and now and 
then, but pass the whole time of your sojourning here 
in mercy. If such a life be sweet and precious now, 
what must the fruit and end of it be when it comes to 
be made perfect in heaven ! when the work, the anx- 
iety, the self-denial, will be all over, and only the love 
and joy and everlasting blessedness remain ! " 

Aito?i. 



122 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS^ 



AUGUST 17. 

" The Lord liveth, and blessed be my Rock. 
He is the tower of salvation." — 2 Sam. xxii. 47-51. 

***God with us'; our God, yet .our Brother; our 
Brother, yet our God, which makes Him the sure and 
unassailable stronghold He is. The * Clefts ' whither 
His people are invited to flee, are in a Rock ; but that 
Rock is the ' Rock of Ages.' '* 

Macduff, 

AUGUST 18. 

" Blessed are the merciful." — Matt. v. 7. 
" The merciful doeth good to his own soul." — 
Prov. xi. 17. 

Blessed are they who labor and pray to be merci- 
ful, not after the false pattern of this world, but after 
Christ's pure and high example. His Divine pattern 
must in the end serve either to shame or to bless, and 
for a blessing there need be no limit to the hopes of 
a true penitent, for the Infinite One esteems it part 
of His own blessedness to be ever pouring out new 
blessings." 

Keble, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



123 



AUGUST 19. 

" Blessed is the people that know the joyful 
sound." — Ps. Ixxxix. 15. 

Remember, **the last words of God's blessed Book, 
the last words heard from the lips of the risen and 
glorified Redeemer by human ear, assure us that all 
Adam lost will be restored by Christ. The blessing 
which brightened man's early pathway will be repro- 
duced. The tree of life will bloom again, and the 
river of Life will flow through Paradise regained." 

Macmillan. 

AUGUST 20. 

" Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst 
after righteousness." — Matt. v. 6. 

*' Is this the one great object of your desires and 
aspirations and endeavors, the beacon that draws and 
guides you onward, and the tent that shelters and 
protects you ? 

Are you longing, seeking, striving to fly for refuge 
from the sins of the world beneath the righteousness 
of Christ ? Are you indeed hungering and thirsting 
after this righteousness ?" 

y. Hare, 



124 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



AUGUST 21. 

" I will bless the Lord, who hath given me 
counsel." — Ps. xvi. 7. 

'* The man who looks steadfastly into God's perfect 
law, and translates what he sees there into daily prac- 
tice, this man * shall be blessed in his doing,' keeping 
God always before his face. 

The man who studies God studies self at the same 
time ; the man who steadfastly follows Christ, knows 
as much about self as he knows of Christ." 

M. jR, Vincent. 

AUGUST 22. 

" Blessed are they that put their trust in Him." 
— Ps. ii. 12. 

Christ is the source of blessedness, the centre of 
perfection, and the circumference of excellency ! Do 
you really love Him ? 

Think, He who is blessed forevermore took our 
nature, and became a curse, and suffered the death on 
the cross, that we — you and I — might enjoy and know 
His blessedness." 

Christian'' s Pocket-Book. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



125 



AUGUST 23. 

" Bless the Lord who crowneth thee with lov- 
ing-kindness and tender mercies." — Ps. ciii. 4. 

"What we receive with God's blessing, we enjoy 
with a double relish. * He shall bless thy bread, and 
thy water.' 

'*God sends to His dear children day-strength with 
day- bread ! 

Since the past with His blessing 

Has joyfully sped, 
Thy heart should be quiet 

In happy content, 
And in His good service 

Thy life be spent." 

Anon, 

AUGUST 24. 

"Blessed are ye that hunger, for ye shall be 
filled." — Luke vi. 21. 

*' If we hunger for spiritual blessings, it proves that 
we have spiritual life, and Jesus will satisfy us, for He 
filleth the hungry with good things." 

Anon, 

From Him the poor are never driven.'* 



126 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



AUGUST 25. 

"Blessed art Thou, O Lord: teach me Thy 
statutes." — Ps. cxix. 12. 

**The blessed Spirit of God is wont to destroy evil 
principles in the heart by implanting such as are good, 
to wean the affections from the world by attracting 
them to heaven, and to take away the sense of great 
trial by shedding abroad the love of God in the heart. 
You are led to the blessed joy of communion, the bond 
of connection is Christ, for through Him we have 
access to the Father." 

Anon. 

AUGUST 26. 

" Blessed be ye poor : for yours is the kingdom 
of God.'*— Luke vi. 20. 

*' The poorer we are, the more we need the Saviour ; 
and the more we need Him, the more welcome we are 
to Him." 

Anon, 

Remember, 

Christ will bless 
With all the riches of His grace." 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



127 



AUGUST 27. 

" Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all 
His benefits." — Ps. ciii. 2. 

** Whatever the Lord does for us, however painful, 
is a benefit, and therefore calls for praise and thanks- 
giving." 

jfames Smith, 

** Encourage yourself in God when everything around 
is calculated to discourage you. God's mercies fre- 
quently surpass our expectations. His mercy is great 
unto the heavens.'* 

Anon, 



AUGUST 28. 
"Blessing be unto God forever.*' — Rev. vii. 12. 

** In quietness and confidence shall be your strength. 

** Stillness in God is the perfect life — the grace of 
tranquillity. It will take a long time to learn, because 
one is slow to take in the stilling of the self-acting, that 
God may act in us His inner work.'* 

H, MonselL 



128 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



AUGUST 29. 

" May the blessing of the Lord be upon you." — 
Ps. cxxix. 8. 

Being blessed of God in Christ, raises us to the 
highest dignity. We may be happy in trouble ; we 
are safe if blessed by Him ; goodness and mercy fol- 
low us all the days of our life, and in all we see the 
hand of God." 

Anon, 

AUGUST 30. 

" Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain 
mercy.'* — Matt. v. 7. 

*' * The poor ye have always with you, and whenso- 
ever ye will ye may do them good.' Gracious and lov- 
ing command. It came to the disciples first as part of 
our Lord's dying words — one of the many legacies of 
mercy He was about to purchase for us, and send to 
us by His death. Do ye note the presence of the poor as 
a remembrance of Him who is no longer w^ith us in 
sight, because He has gone up to complete our redemp- 
tion and blessing." 

Keble, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



129 



AUGUST 31. 

Blessed are they that hear the word of God, 
and keep it." — Luke xi. 28. 

" It is an unspeakable privilege to have God's word, 
but it brings great responsibility with it. May we read, 
believe, and practice it. Let us set our hearts on things 
beyond this world, even on those things which are 
eternal." 

Anon, 



9 



I30 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



SEPTEMBER I. 

" Blessed are the pure in heart." — Matt. v. 8. 

A pure heart is better to a man than Prophet's 
message or Apostle's miracle, or even outward word of 
Christ ; for this is Christ within. 

Yes, a clear heart is better than a sound creed; 
for the sound creed is in the clear heart, or will come 
by its means. There may be still some darkness left, 
but remember * unto the upright, light ariseth in the 
darkness.' " 

Raleigh. 

SEPTEMBER 2. 

" I will make an everlasting covenant with thee, 
which the Lord hath blessed." — Is. Ixi. 8, 9. 

Gratitude to a covenant God makes even a tem- 
poral blessing a taste of Heaven." 

Rc7naine. 

Remember, happiness is but the contentment of 
desire, while blessedness is the satisfaction of those 
aspirations which have God alone for their end and 
aim." 

F. IV. Robertson. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



SEPTEMBER 3. 

" Blessed are they that mourn.'* — Matt. v. 4. 

''Thus said the Lord Jesus, as if the height of the 
consolation would rise far, far above the depth of the 
sorrow. 

''And it will; for remember, 'the Lord has laid 
help on One that is mighty.' Remember that He is 
the hope of Israel. Think for what Christ came ! 
Not to bring life only, but also joy ; not merely liber- 
ty to the captive, and the opening of the prison to 
them that are bound ; but also to bind up the broken- 
hearted, to comfort them that mourn." 

The Other Shore, 

SEPTEMBER 4. 

" Blessed are all they that put their trust in 
Him." — Ps. iL 12. 

" Cling fast to the hand which is leading you. 
Though it be in darkness, though it be in deep waters, 
you know whom you have believed. Yield not for a sin- 
gle moment to misgivings about future storms. Infi- 
nite love, joined to infinite skill, shall pilot the way 
through every strait and temptation." 

J. Alexander. 



132 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



SEPTEMBER 5. 

" Blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee/' 
— Ps. Ixxxiv. 5. 

If we depend upon the strength we possess, we 
shall fail ; but if we trust in the promise we shall over- 
come. 

The promise is a redemption from the bondage of 
self into the liberty of the sons of God, who live no 
longer to themselves, but wholly and perfectly for the 
Lord whose they are/' 

Anon, 



SEPTEMBER 6. 

" I will bless the Lord ; . . . . the lines are fallen 
unto me in pleasant places." — Ps. xvi. 6, 7. 

Lift your eyes to your Leader for heart-cheer. 
His Face will be your light, His Hand your strength, 
His Grace your food. His Loving-kindness your never- 
failing strength." 

A?ion. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



SEPTEMBER 7. 

" He that hath a pure heart shall receive a 
blessing from the Lord." — Ps. xxiv. 4, 5. 

How blessed is that presentation of Christ which 
enshrines Him in the very heart itself, nearer than the 
nearest earthly friend, and which keeps Him there un- 
changed in all the fulness and tenderness of human 
sympathy, and with all the strength and consolation 
of divine grace. Oh, the blessing of such a Friend, 
the blessing of telling Him all our trials, temptations, 
cares, and grieis. And we may do this ; for He says, 
' Come unto me ; come,* " 

Anon, 

SEPTEMBER 8. 

" When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou 
shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good which 
He hath given thee." — Deut. viii. 10. 

Let us strive after close union and communion 
with Christ ; He is the bread of life. Let us feed on 
Him day by day, as Israel on the manna, and not on 
our own experiences. Let Christ become more and 
more all things to us. His intercession our comfort ; 
His word our warrant ; His grace our strength ; His 
sympathy our support ; let us study to know more of 
Christ." 

Ryle. 



134 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



SEPTEMBER 9. 

" Blessed be the Name of God forever. Wis- 
dom and might are His." — Dan. ii. 20. 

Trust Him implicitly, submit to Him cheerfully, 
and you will find that all shall be well, that more grace 
will be given you : that the heavier the trial, the larger 
will be the blessed measure of strength. The Shep- 
herd is leading you in the right way to His own blessed 
fold. Leave all to Him." 

y. A. Mackenzie. 

SEPTEMBER lO. 

I will save you, and ye shall be a blessing ; 
fear not, let your hands be strong." — Zech. 
viii. 13. 

" If we give ourselves to God without reserve, to 
live and work for Him, there is no doubt that He 
gives us special spiritual power. But if we wish for 
this power, we must keep in close communion with 
Him. 

How blessed is the thought, that all the trials and 
temptations, and even the sins of every day, are work- 
ing out for us that redemption which will set us free." 

Anon, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



135 



SEPTEMBER II. 

" If ye hearken to judgments and keep them, 
the Lord thy God He will love thee, and bless thee, 
and thou shalt be blessed." — Deut. vii. 12-14. 

''There are dispositions which, like Job, must have 
all things taken from them before they can find all 
things again in God. Blessed is the man who, when 
the tempest has spent its fury, recognizes his Father's 
voice in '^ts undertone, and bows his head and bends 
his knee as Elijah did." 

W, Robertson, 



SEPTEMBER 12. 

*' Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters."—- 
Is. xxxii. 20. 

''Bear the load of thy neighbor's poverty, and let 
him bear with thee the load of thy wealth ; thou light- 
enest thy load by lightening his." 

St. Augustine. 

And, 

" Blessed are the merciful." 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



SEPTEMBER 1 3. 

**He blesseth thee." — Ps. cvii. 38. 

Every day speaks Of the goodness of God, and 
when it is finished leaves it to the next day to say the 
same/' 

Henry, 

**Not many lives, but one, have we. How sacred 

should that one life be, day after day filled up with 

blessed toil." e 

Bonar. 



SEPTEMBER I4» 

" Blessed are the peace-makers."— Matt. v. 9. 

**Bear ye one another's burdens." Father of 
mercies, give us hearts abounding with loving-kind- 
ness toward all men. May we be kindly affectionate 
unto all, forgiving others, as we ourselves desire to be 
forgiven. O Lord, let us hear in all storms of heart- 
tempests Thy voice, saying, ' Peace, be still.*" 



AJ^^D A BLESSED YEAR, 



SEPTEMBER 1 5. 

Bless the Lord at all times." — Ps. xxxiv. i. 

" ' Blessed are they who hear His word and keep it 
well/ And His word is, ' Follow thou Me.' 

Remember in that following "there is no action 
so slight, but it may be done to a great purpose and 
ennobled thereby ; nor is any purpose so great but 
that slight action may help it." 

Ruskin. 



SEPTEMBER 1 6. 

" Blessed be God which hath not turned away 
my prayer, nor His mercy from me." — Ps. lxvi.20. 

"If you want to know how God feels toward you, 
and how ready God is to give you everything that is 
really good, here is something to go by ; you know 
how much a father and mother will do for their little 
ones. Well, says Christ, 'you know all that'; you 
know all that, says His blessed Voice, and now hear me 
and believe me when I tell you the great Father above 
is just like that, only a thousandfold better." 

Boyd. 



138 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



SEPTEMBER IJ, 

** Behold I set before you a blessing — a blessing 
if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your 
God." — Deut. xi. 26, 27. 

Remember, without continual beholding of God in 
Jesus Christ, we shall miss the blessing, and grow cold 
in love ; without looking to Him as our justification, 
we shall become faint in hope ; and without making 
Him our example, we shall come short in holiness." 

Mrs. Hare, 

SEPTEMBER 1 8. 

"He shall deliver the needy when he crieth. 
Blessed be His glorious name forever." — Ps. 
Ixxii. 12, 19. 

Ponder the blessed knowledge that our smallest con- 
cerns are regulated by our*heavenly Father. We may 
repose in confidence that if it is good for us, happiness 
will be granted, and if it be hereafter chequered, as is 
often the case, the support and the comfort will come 
with the trial." 

A7707t, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



SEPTEMBER I9. 

" Blessed are ye when men shall reproach you." 
—Luke vi. 22. 

"Hear another word of His that must be coupled 
with it, * When they persecute you in one city flee to 
another/ You need not stay anywhere on purpose to 
be persecuted, but when it comes to you in the paths 
of duty, then know that the rugged way in which you 
walk leads up to the mount of the beatitudes." 

W, Gladden. 



SEPTEMBER 20. 

" Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord." 
— Jer. xvii. 7. 

"If we trust in men, we shall be disappointed and 
discouraged ; but if we trust in the Lord, we shall be 
safe and successful. 

** We may trust the Lord for all He has promised, and 
His promise embraces all we need in time and eternity. 
He that trusts in the Lord shall be safe." 

Anon. 



140 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



SEPTEMBER 21. 

" Blessed are the pure in heart." — Matt. v. 8. 
How does Jesus make men pure ? He made Him- 
self one with our human nature, that He might heal 
and bless it through its contact with His divinity. He 
folded it around His eternal Presence. He made it His 
own. He made it a power which could quicken and 
restore us ; and then, by the gift of His Spirit He bound 
us to it. He entered into us. He robed us in it, and 
henceforth Christian humanity became conscious of 
a Presence before which the unclean spirit can not but 
shrink away," 

Liddon, 

SEPTEMBER 22. 

** Blessed is he that hath part in the first resur- 
rection." — Rev. XX. 6. 

How glorious shall that soul be, that shall see 
Christ clearly, and enjoy immediate communion with 
Him. We shall be like Him indeed, when we shall see 
Him as He is. O Lord, let me have such clear visions, 
such sweet fruition of Thee, that I may not only here- 
after be happy, as Thou art happy, but may likewise 
now be holy, as Thou art holy," 

Divine Bi-eathings, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



141 



SEPTEMBER 23. 

" Blessed be the Lord God, who only doeth 
wondrous things." — Ps. Ixxii. 18. 

' He will keep thee in peace.' Can we indeed thus 
be kept even when sorrows press upon us, and all 
seems dark and dreary ? 

Yes, but God must keep us ; we can not sustain 
ourselves, but if we stay our minds upon Him as our 
Rock of Salvation, if we trust wholly to His omniscient 
Eye, which seeth what is best for us, then shall we be 
kept in perfect peace. Oh, this is blessing ; this is 
rest.'* 

Sunshine and Starlight, 
SEPTEMBER 24. 

" Bless the Lord, all His works." — Ps. ciii. 22. 

**Let him that blesseth himself on the earth, bless 
himself in the God of truth." Let him that rejoiceth 
in the earth, rejoice in the God of truth. Come, then, 
live upon thy God ; come, enjoy God ; enjoy God in 
thy soul ; enjoy thy soul in God. Live up to thy bless- 
ings." 

Alleine, 



142 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



SEPTEMBER 25. 

" Blessed be ye poor." — Luke vi. 20. 

The Friend of the poor man repeats, * Blessed are 
ye poor'; but remember, *the poor have the Gospel 
preached to them,' and that is everlasting riches. 

Christ says to them, 'Come unto Me, I will give 
you rest ' — rest from the burden of your sins, for which 
He has paid the penalty." 

Anon. 



SEPTEMBER 26. 

" Happy am I. Call me blessed." — Gen. xxx. 13. 

"Come, ye beloved, you that are highly favored; 
the Lord is with you. Blessed are you ; the lines are 
fallen to you in a pleasant place ; you have a goodly 
heritage. Come and enter upon your lot ; let your 
heart be glad ; let divine love be the pleasure of your 
life. Keep close to God, by keeping close to duty." 

Heaven Ope7ied. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



143 



SEPTEMBER 27. 

"I will command my blessing upon you." — 
Lev. XXV. 21. 

Think of your blessed inheritance, and yet yours 
through conflict, for "what need of armor had there 
been no Christian warrior ? Had there been no snares, 
wherefore the perpetual warnings ? Had this world's 
pleasant paths been given to Christ's followers, why 
set forth the fadeless joys of that fair land of promise 
prepared for the children of the covenant, who, 
* through much tribulation,' must enter in, and take 
possession of their blessed inheritance ? " 

Shtpton. 

SEPTEMBER 28. 

"It pleased the Lord to bless." — Num. xxiv. i. 

** This is life eternal to know Thee, and Jesus Christ 
whom Thou hast sent. To know Christ is the evidence 
of His love revealed to us ; and Christ revealed in us, 
is the very entrance of heaven, for what is the perfec- 
tion of grace but the fulness of His knowledge ? And 
what is the consummation of His glory but the blessed- 
ness of His fulness?" 

A?ion. 



144 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



SEPTEMBER 29. 

" Stand up and bless the Lord your God forever 
and ever." — Neh. ix. 5. 

** Blessed be His name. It is a part of His covenant 
to visit us with the rod, for our Lord says, * As many 
as I love, I rebuke and chasten.* Be it ours to say, 

* Lord, I will love Thee, not only despite of Thy rod, 
but because of Thy rod ' ; ours to read in the bow which 
spans the darkest clouds, * He chastens because He 
loves.' " 

Macduff. 

SEPTEMBER 30. 

** Blessings in Christ." — Eph. i. 3. 

**Let us listen to Christ. 'Blessed are the meek. 

* Learn of Me : for I am meek and lowly in heart.' ' If 
I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye 
ought to wash one another's feet.' 

'*The strongest motives to Christian humility are 
these near sights of God's purity and blessedness 
which we attain through communion with His blessed 
Son. In Jesus the deepest of humiliations was the 
fruit of His charity for souls, and in us humble thoughts 
and deeds blossom into fruitful action through follow- 
ing His example." 

Anon. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



OCTOBER I. 

" God having raised up His Son Jesus, sent 
Him to bless you." — Acts iii. 26. 

Oh, blessed resort in the hour of deepest afflic= 
tion ! Go, child of sadness and desolation ; go with 
thy breaking heart, with thy aching life-sorrow, too 
great for utterance or for tears, *go and tell Jesus/ 

Go, and remember, there is one Ear that is ever 
lovingly open to the story of your sorrow. 

Remember that Friend in Heaven. * Go and tell 
Jesus.' " 

Macduff, 

OCTOBER 2. 

" His name shall endure forever ; all men shall 
be blessed in Him." — Ps. Ixxii. 17. 

Blessed is he which knoweth what it is to love 
Jesus. 

" The love of earthly things is deceitful and frail, 
but the love of Jesus is faithful and doth endure. 

"He which loveth worldly things shall perish there- 
withal, but he that embraceth Jesus abideth ever. 

Love Jesus, and keep Him thy Friend, who, when 
all things fade away, will never forsake thee." 

A Kempts. 

10 



146 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



OCTOBER 3. 

" Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the king- 
dom of God." — Luke xw. 15. 

"When I speak of Eternal Life, T mean nothing 
else than that life which is in God, which makes God 
to be infinitely blessed. To say that God gives man 
Eternal Life, is to say that God gives man to partake 
of that which is His own blessedness." 

Anon, 



OCTOBER 4. 

"The Lord shall open unto thee His good 
treasure, the Heavens to give the rain unto thy 
land in season, and to bless all the works of thine 
hand." — Deut. xxviii. 12. 

Remember to be on the watch for the Lord's bless- 
ing, for many favors which the Lord giveth us ravel 
out for want of hemming, through our own un thank- 
fulness ; for though nothing purchaseth blessings, giv- 
ing praise doth keep the quiet possession of them." 

Fuller, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



147 



OCTOBER 5. 

Ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand 
unto. The Lord thy God hath blessed thee." — 
Deut. xii. 7. 

"Thy God shall supply all your need. Here is a 
key to open every door before which we pause, say- 
ing, ' How shall I get through ? ' A mighty master 
key for the regions of Giant Despair, for every lock in 
Doubting Castle. * I have a key in my bosom called 
Promise,' said Hopeful, — and he had forgotten to 
take it out." 

Anna JVarner. 

OCTOBER 6. 

" The fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of 
Christ." — Rom. xv. 29. 

Remember, ** God's blessing for the pure in heart 
is, they shall see God. He spoke to a Master in Israel 
of the new birth without which no man can see the 
kingdom of God. ^ 

Paul knew no better way of describing who the 
Christians are, than by calling them those who * look 
not at the things which are seen, but at the things which 
are not seen.' The true Christian life is looking unto 
Jesus. Faith is living as seeing Him who is invisible.'* 

Newfftan Sinyth, 



148 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



OCTOBER 7. 

" Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord." 
—Rev. xiv. 13. 

** Be it yours to live the life of the righteous, if you 
would die their death. Let our existence be a sacred 
mission to * please God*; then the last enemy can not 
appear too suddenly or unexpectedly." 

MacduJ^. 

*' How will trials shrink into nothing when thy 
amazed soul shall enter into the brightness of God's 
Eternal Light and Love." 

Pusey, 

OCTOBER 8. 
I will bless the Lord who hath given me coun- 
sel." — Ps. xvi. 7. 

It is good for me to draw near to God. 
" The Lord hath counselled us in His Word, in ref- 
erence to every subject of importance. Happy is the 
man who takes counsel of his God, and abides by it." 

* His counsels and upholding care 
My safety and my comfort are.'" 

Anon, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



149 



OCTOBER 9. 

'* The Lord blesseth the habitation of the just. 
He giveth grace unto the lowly." — Pro v. iii. 
33. 34. 

Are you one of the lowly in heart ? 

** Humility is truth, and Pride is a lie ; the one glo- 
rifles God, the other dishonors Him. Humility makes 
men to be like angels." 

y. Taylor. 



OCTOBER 10. 
** Salvation belongeth unto the Lord ; Thy bless- 
ing is upon Thy people."— Ps. iii. 8. 

O Lord, take my heart, for I can not give it ; and 
when Thou hast it, oh, keep it, for I can not keep it 
for Thee ; and save me in spite of myself, for Jesus 
Christ's sake." 

Feneiortt 



150 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



OCTOBER II. 

" Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, 
and say all manner of evil against you falsely for 
my sake." — Matt. v. ii. 

Remember " for highest blessedness there is no 
preparation without unusual trial. The greatest dia- 
dem which God has to bestow upon His selected chil- 
dren of this earth is the crown of thorns." 

F, W» Robertson, 



OCTOBER 12. 

" Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spirit- 
ual blessings in heavenly places with Christ," — 
Eph. i. 3. 

*' Christ in you the hope of glory ; it is the eagle 
eye of faith which penetrates the grave, and sees far 
into the tranquil things of death ; he alone can believe 
in immortality who feels the resurrection in him al- 
ready." 

F. W. Robertson. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



OCTOBER 13. 

Bless the Lord, all His works in all places of 
His dominion; bless the Loid, O my soul," — 
Ps. ciii. 22. 

There is not a single thing Tve do all the day long, 
which may not, and that quite easily, be made to ad- 
vance the glory of God, the interests of Jesus, and the 
salvation of souls, and thus become a blessing, a jewel 
of almost infinite price." 

Faber, 

OCTOBER 14. 
'* Bless thou .... and praise the Lord." — Ps. 
cix. 28. 

" Blessed is it to be under the Lord's teaching, to 
be trained up by Him in the way we should go. 
Blessed to be rising in His school, though every class 
presents a more difficult lesson. Blessed to have a 
\vaste heart, to feel it a wilderness, a desert fitted to 
rejoice in the promises ; the Lord shall comfort thee, 
He shall comfort all thy waste places. He will make 
thy wilderness like Eden, thy desert as the garden of 
the Lord," 

Power scourt. 



152 



^ YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



OCTOBER 15. 
Blessed are they that weep now. 

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy." — 
Ps. cxxvi. 5. 

**We must sow before we reap. This life is the 
seed-time ; we shall enjoy in another the fruit of our 
labors. The time will come when God will wipe all 
tears from His children's eyes." 

Anon. 

OCTOBER 16. 
Without all contradiction the less is blessed 

of the better For the law made nothing 

perfect, but the bringing in of a better Hope did." 
— Heb. vii. 7, 19. 

" I can do all things through Christ who strengthens 
me. " * * When I thought I could of myself do everything, 
I could do nothing ; now that it seems to me I can do 
nothing, I begin to be able to do all things. Blessed 
weakness, which makes me find in Thee, O my God ! 
all that I find not in myself." 

Fenelon, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



153 



OCTOBER 17. 

Bless the Lord from this time forth," — Ps. 
cxv. 18. 

Study His Word, for "what else is Holy Scripture 
but a letter from Almighty God to His creatures. The 
King of Heaven, the Lord of men and of angels, has 
sent you a letter to conduct you to eternal life, and yet 
you delay to read it zealously. 

Begin to-day, and learn the mind of God from the 
blessed Word of God," 

Gregory of Rome. 

OCTOBER 18. 

" He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed." 
— Prov. xxii. 9. 

** Let the love of your brethren be as a fire within 
you, consuming that selfishness that is so contrary to 
it, and is so natural to men ; let it set your thoughts 
on work to study how to do good to others ; let your 
love be an active love witnessing within you, and ex- 
tending itself in doing good to the souls and bodies of 
your brethren as they need and you are able." 

Leighton, 



154 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



OCTOBER 19. 

" Sing unto the Lord, bless His name." — Ps. 
xcvi. 2. 

Blessed be God! He loves not according to our 
desert, but according to our necessity. 

Blessed be God ! it is not written His blood can 
cleanse from all the evil that we see, but what He 
sees. 

Blessed be God! we are children of promise, heirs 
of all the promises, children of light, waiting for the 
morning ! 

God grant light may now shine for us more and 
more unto the perfect day." 

Anon, 

OCTOBER 20. 

Blessed is she that believeth." — Luke ii. 45. 

" Over the blessedness of our spirit circumstances 
need have no control. We know the beatitudes of 
Christian life ; and these are so far from being a 
product of circumstances, that only against the con- 
tradiction and in the conquest of circumstances, do 
they reach their height." 

Thorn, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



155 



OCTOBER 21. 

" Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is 
the kingdom of Heaven." — -Matt. v. 3. 

" Humility is not constitutional. To be truly hum- 
ble in our intercourse with others there must be self- 
denial. 

" The Saviour bids us be meek and lowly in heart, 
and this meekness is a casting down of all confidence 
in self, that from God alone help may be derived." 

Fenelon. 

*' Spirit of Grace, all meek and mild, 

Our souls possess. 

And bless us, as we aim to bless." 

OCTOBER 22. 

" Blessed are the people who walk, O Lord, in 
the light of Thy countenance." — Ps. Ixxxix. 15. 

"Is it not blessed to be able to sing of judgment as 
well as mercy ? 

"Surely it is among our chiefest blessings that it 
has never yet been said of us, * Let them alone.' 

" Israel was blessed when God brought down their 
hearts through heaviness, for they cried unto the Lord 
in their trouble ; they remembered that God was their 
rock, and the high God their Redeemer. When trial 
comes do you thus remember ? " 

Powerscourt. 



156 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



OCTOBER 23. 

" It is more blessed to give than to receive." — 
Acts xx. 35. 

God's blessing is always with unselfish labor. He 
blesses the effort even when it does not reach its mark, 
and in the sense of blessing doubt is lost in peace. 

** Under the strokes of earnest force the glow of life 
comes out in warmth and joy,." 

Laws of Life, 



OCTOBER 24. 

"God having raised up His Son Jesus, sent 
Him to bless you, in turning every one of you 
from his iniquities," — Acts iii. 26. 

Behold the man ! Behold your King ! Behold God 
manifest in the flesh ! Hear His commanding word ! 
His blessing for you and me is in the imperative duty 
of discipleship. * Leave all and follow Me.' " 

Newman Smyth, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



OCTOBER 25. 

" Blessed are the poor in spirit " Blessed are 
they that mourn " Blessed are the meek 
" Blessed are the pure in heart.'* — Matt. v. 3, 4, 
5,8. 

** Ponder this chapter of blessings wherein Christ 
promises to bless us with His own blessedness, for all 
through His speech of blessings run words of comfort 
— a promise linked with each." 

Anon, 



OCTOBER 26. 
"Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us 
with benefits." — Ps. Ixviii. 19. 

**The blessings that we know of are more than 
enough to kindle the most fervent love. We must 
treasure up God's mercies, and make much of them, 
and set store by them as did Jacob and David. We 
must mourn as Isaac did ; we must ponder things as 
Mary did, even our blessings." 

Faher. 



158 A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



OCTOBER 27. 

Think of " the God and Father of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, blessed forever."— 2 CoR. xi. 31. 

It is blessed to have our thoughts and joys not only 
'packed up,' but gone before. Well to have all our 
riches in movable goods, that we may be ready to be 
off to the New Jerusalem at a moment's warning." 

Powerscourt, 



OCTOBER 28. 
" Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in 
the name of the Lord." — John xii. 13. 

Who is this King? The Lord; my Lord. He is 
the King of glory. 

**A King who shall stretch forth His hand to you 
and me, and say, 'Come in, ye blessed of my Father.* 
A King who has Himself prepared the kingdom, who 
by His dispensations and consolations, proves that He 
has considered our frame, knows what will satisfy us, 
even to enter into the joy of our Lord." 

Anon. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



159 



OCTOBER 29. 

" I love the Lord because He hath heard my 
voice and my supplication. I will bless the 
Lord." — Ps. cxvi. 1-2. 

**0 blessed prayer ! thou art the unwearied conqueror 
of human woes, the firm foundation of human happi- 
ness, the source of ever-during joy. 

''The man who can pray truly is richer and more 
blessed than all others." 

Can you thus pray ? Chi-ysostom, 

OCTOBER 30. 
" The Lord bless thee, and keep thee : the 
Lord make His face shine upon thee, and De 
gracious unto thee." — Num. vi. 24, 25. 

Remember, 

"There is no holiness if the Lord withdraw His 
presence ; no wisdom if His Spirit ceases to direct. In 
our own nature w^e are as unsettled as the sand upon 
the mountain ; but in God we have the stability of the 
throne in Heaven. Kindle, O Lord, our hearts with 
light and life by the holy fire of Thy love and blessing." 

A Kempis. 



i6o 



A VEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



OCTOBER 31. 

" The Lord God is a sun and shield : the Lord 
will give grace and glory. O Lord of hosts, 
blessed is the man that trusteth in Thee/' — 
Ps. Ixxxiv. II, 12. 

' I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence 
Cometh my help.' 

To look at Thee in every step I make, is the only 
way never to wander. We only stray from the holy 
way by losing sight of Thee and ceasing to see Thee 
in everything. Oh, let Thine Almighty strength sus- 
tain my w^eakness. Grant me Thy blessing." 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



i6i 



NOVEMBER I. 

" All nations shall call you blessed ; ye shall be 
delightsome." — Mal. iii. 12, 

Blessed are ye, O glorified spirits, who have al- 
ready overcome ! O ye beloved of Jesus ! ye saints 
of God ! • Blessed are ye, ye have conquered death in 
Jesus, and with Jesus. The resurrection of the Lord 
became your resurrection ; He lives, and ye live with 
Him. To us all God hath promised immortal life. 
Thanks be unto God for this blessed Hope." 

Zschokke, 

NOVEMBER 2. 

" Satisfied with favor, and full with the blessing 
of the Lord." — Deut. xxxiii. 23. 

When your Redeemer calls you by name, it is that 
He may lead you forth to blessedness. His pure af- 
fection settles on what is good, and our blessed priv- 
ilege is to correspond with His thoughts, and to be 
truly an answer to the thought ; and to be this, we 
must believe in our possible goodness through His 
gracious help." 

Raleigh, 

II 



l62 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



NOVEMBER 3. 

Christ said, Come, ye blessed of my Father, 
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the 
foundation of the world. For I was an hungered, 
and ye gave me meat. I was thirsty, and ye gave 
me drink. Lord, they answered, when gave we 
Thee thus ? " — Matt. xxv. 34, 37. 

This beholding of Christ in humanity is a revela- 
tion, a drawing away of a veil that beforetime hid the 
blessed fact, ' inasmuch as ye do it unto one of the 
least of these my brethren, ye do it unto me.' Do 
you know this blessed service with its divine preface 
unto Christ ? " 

Anon. 

NOVEMBER 4, 

** Blessed is the man who maketh the Lord his 
trust." — Ps. xl. 4. 

" Those who dwell most on the person and work of 
Christ have the brightest prospects of future blessings, 
God's omnipotence and grace authorize us to ex- 
pect blessings beyond our comprehension." 

J. W, Alexander. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



163 



NOVEMBER 5. 

" Ye that fear the Lord, bless the Lord/' 
" Blessed is every man that feareth the Lord." 
— Ps. cxxviii. I. 
Remember, 

Affliction is sanctified when we are made to feel 
that nothing can satisfy but God, and when we rely on 
Him as our only hope. It is then that the Christian 
finds the promises confirmed to him. Then he rolls 
his burden on the Lord, commits his way to Him, 
leans on Him, and trusts Him with all his heart. And 
thus afflictions by God's blessing, become blessings." 

y. W, Alexander, 

NOVEMBER 6, 

" Blessed be the Lord God. In Thine Hand it 
is to make great, and to give strength to all."^ — 
I Chron. xxix. 10, II. 

"When the love of God has taken possession of 
the soul, and the whole man is consecrated to His 
service, life loses its fragmentary character, and one 
guiding stream seems to run through it. The stronger 
the soul is set upon one object, so much the more does 
it find power to overcome all difficulties. So doth it 
gam the victory over the world and evil.'* 

Anon, 



i64 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGSy 



NOVEMBER 7. 

I will extol Thee, my God, my King, and I 
will bless Thy name forever and ever." — Ps. 
cxlv. I. 

Teach us, O blessed Jesus, more and more of 
Thy own gracious mercy and love, that we may be 
constrained to glorify Thee more fully, and under- 
stand more of the hidden mystery of Thy blessed re- 
demption." 

A7ion, 



NOVEMBER 8, 

" I will bless the Lord who hath given me 
counsel ; because He is at my right hand I shall 
not be moved.'* — Ps. xvi. 7, 8. 

" Blessed Lord, Thine we are, and Thee we ought 
to serve. Be merciful to us this day ; keep us in all 
our ways ; bless all our undertakings. Put Thy love 
in our hearts, and bless and guide us in our going out, 
and our coming in." 

y. Baker. 



AND A BLESS EB YEAR. 



165 



NOVEMBER 9. 

" Lord my God, look down from Thine holy 
habitation, from Heaven, and bless Thy people." 
— Deut. xxvi. 14, 15. 

Remember, where Providence calls you, the God 
of Providence will be with you and preserve you. ' I 
will guide thee with Mine eye.' A blessed promise. 
And it is for you— only believe." 

Anon. 

NOVEMBER lO. 

" He that hath clean hands and a pure heart, 
he shall receive a blessing from the Lord." — Ps. 
xxiv. 4, 5. 

Seek strength for to-day, to practice forbearance, 
and to scatter kind words and loving deeds." 

For, 

The tissues of the life to be, we weave with colors 
all our own, 

And in the field of destiny, we reap as we have 
sown." 

Whit/zer, 



i66 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



NOVEMBER II. 

"The Lord hath sworn in truth, I will abun- 
dantly bless." — Ps. cxxxii. ii, 15. 

There are blessed hopes, but there are also fears ; 
and not upon this side of time may the blessed promise, 
* at evening time it shall be light,' find its fulfilment. 

Yet it is true ; if not in this world, then in a better. 

Remember, it is but a single step from the dark- 
ness of death into the blessed light of immortality." 

Boyd, 

NOVEMBER 12. 

" In that day shall there be a highway, even a 
blessing,'' — ISA. xix. 23, 24. 

** Tribulation is the King's highway, and yet that 
highway is paved with love." 

Macduff. 

Sheltered by the Rock, Christ, we are entirely 
safe. Remember, in every trying hour pray to be led 
to this Rock. There is perfect safety. He is unchange- 
able ; the same yesterday, to-day, and forever." 

Bickersteth. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



T67 



NOVEMBER I3. 

" I bowed down my head and worshipped the 
Lord, and blessed the Lord God." — Gen. xxiv. 
26, 27. 

" God hath made all things for His elect, and His elect 
for Himself. All is yours, and you are Christ's. I will 
therefore serve my God in all things, myself in noth- 



NOVEMBER I4. 

" I am the Lord your God ; T will command my 
blessing upon you." — Lev. xxv. 17, 21. 

Remember; Christ came to bless. O, Thou blessed 
Model of self-forgetting love ! Thou who didst come in- 
to the world, not to be ministered unto, but to minister. 
Thee will we gaze on. Thee will we love, until we 
learn to love our £ellow-men with a love which in its 
soHcitude for them, forgets its own affliction." 

Tkoluck. 



t68 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



NOVEMBER I 5. 

"Thus saith the Lord, There shall be showers 
of blessings." — Ezek. xxxiv. 26. 

"It was because He loved us, that God sent our 
Saviour to die for us. Let us believe and live. God 
rejoices to bless and give good things to them that ask 
Him ; and when we go to ask the least thing, the good 
part in Christ, we may be as sure that He will give it 
to us, as the child that runs confidently to a mother's 
arms can be sure of a mother's care." 

Boyd, 



NOVEMBER 16. 
" Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord im- 
puteth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is 
no guile." — Ps. xxxii. 2. 

When the love of Christ is uppermost, we count all 
things but loss for the blessedness He has given ; and 
for the sake of promoting His glory, w@ can rejoice in 
tribulation, and even desire length of days." 

Mrs. Hare. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 169 



NOVEMBER 17. 

" Ye shall serve the Lord thy God, and He shall 
bless thy bread and thy water." — Ex. xxiii. 25. 

** If we are sincere in our endeavors to seek after the 
right way, God surely knows, and in His own good 
time He will assist and strengthen us in every good 
work, and give us that blessed hope which will brighten 
every day." 

Anon, 



NOVEMBER 1 8. 

" I vvdll make an everlasting covenant with thee, 
which the Lord hath blessed."— ISA. Ixi. 8, 9. 

Ponder that covenant blessed by God, and remem- 
ber Jesus is God : 'I and My Father are one.' God 
ever living and ever present, the giver of temporal and 
of spiritual blessings ; the guide and friend of man, 
both in his outward and his inward life. And this 
God makes a blessed covenant with us." 

Liddon, 



I70 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



NOVEMBER I9. 

" Blessings are upon the head of the just." — • 
Prov. X. 6. 

Earnestly pray to the blessed Saviour to give you 
grace to cast away the works of darkness, and to put on 
the armor of Light, and He will answer your prayer, 
because He said, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, 
believing, ye shall receive. Let those blessed words 
give you confidence." 

Anon. 

NOVEMBER 20. 

" Blessed is the man that walketh not in the 
counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way 
of sinners." — Ps. i. i. 

Is this blessing yours ? Can you from your heart 
pray, * Make me to go in the paths of Thy command- 
ments, for therein do I delight'? 

Therein do I delight. It is the way of my choice, 
of my joy ; and yet, make me to go in it. Pray for the 
confirmation of God's Word in its truth, preciousness, 
and power. Stablish Thy Word unto Thy servant who 
is devoted to Thy fear." 

Can you thus pray ? Raleigh. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



NOVEMBER 21. 

" Bless me, even me also, O Lord." — Gen. 
xxvii. 38. 

Though I have no grace, yet behold at Thy word 
I come for grace ; though I have no Christ, yet I 
come for Christ. If I am not Thy child, may I not 
be made Thy child ? Hast Thou not a child's blessing 
to bestow upon me ? Hear, Lord, send me not away 
without a blessing." 

Alleine. 



NOVEMBER 22. 

" Where is the blessedness ? "—Gal. iv. 15. 

Heaven ; for 'Death is yours.' Blessed souls, 
when you come to the other shore and see the light, 
the love, the joy, the rest, the glory, you will then un- 
derstand what this meaneth — * Death is yours/ 

" When by the Spirit of wisdom and revelation your 
eyes are opened, then you will know what is the blessed 
hope of His calling, what the riches of the glory of His 
inheritance.** 

Anon. 



172 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



NOVEMBER 23. 

"Blessed be Thou which hast kept me." — 
I Sam. XXV. 33. 

O love the Lord, all ye His saints. O bless the 
Lord, all ye His saints. He that is mighty hath done 
for you great things. Consider thou art taken into 
blessedness. Thou wert with the prodigal. But now 
God is thine own ; all that He is, all that He has is 
thine. Here is thy portion ; know it for thy good, 
take it for thine own ; live upon it, and live up to it.'* 

Alleine, 

NOVEMBER 24. 

" Being reviled, we bless." — i COR. iv. 12. 

Blessed are they who keep His commandments. 
And Christ commanded us to love. 

Heavenly love centres no lower than Heaven it- 
self. If love is a beam, it is only as it stands in refer- 
ence to the Sun ; if it love the creature, it is only as it 
is a step to advance nearer to God. Lord, I would 
not care for Heaven were it not for Thee : neither 
would I love myself were I not in Thee." 

Divine Breathi7igs. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



NOVEMBER 2$. 

*' Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord. 
Happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with 
thee." — Ps. cxxviii. i, 2. 

A blessed thing it is to die here, that we may live 
There. And nothing is so sure as death, and noth- 
ing so uncertain as the time. I may be too old to 
live ; I can never be too young to die. I will therefore 
live every hour, as if I were to die the next." 

Anon, 



NOVEMBER 26. 
" Bless the Lord for the good which He hath 
given thee." — ^Deut. viii. 10. 

A faithful man shall abound with blessings, even 
fellowship with the Lord of blessings. *'It is this 
fellowship which it is the believer's privilege to enjoy. 
Give Him, then, no divided heart ; offer no half serv- 
ice. Out of His blessed fulness He proffers the 
strength to follow Him fully." 

Anna Shipion^ 



174 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



NOVEMBER 27. 

" The Lord bless thee, and keep thee/' — Num. 
vi. 24. 

"How blest to all Thy followers, Lord, the road 
By which Thou leadest them on ; yet oft how 
strange ! 

But Thou in all dost seek our highest good ! 
For Truth were true no longer, couldst Thou change. 
Though crooked seem the paths, yet are they 
straight, 

By which Thou draw'st Thy children up to Thee ! 
And passing wonders by the way they see, 
And learn at last to own Thee wise and great." 

Alton, 

NOVEMBER 28. 

" Bless and curse not." — RoM. xii. 14, 

Though you suffer for righteousness' sake, yet are 
ye, and ye shall be blessed. Here is blended the funda- 
mental tone of promise and consolation. Fear ye not, 
let then the light which is in you shine forth ! " 

Stter, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



175 



NOVEMBER 29. 

The Lord shall bless thee, and thou shalt see 
the good all the days of thy life." — Ps. cxxviii. 5. 

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteous- 
ness, and then you have the promise that God will add 
all temporal blessing needed for this life. And yet, 
remember it is written, blessed be God, as many as 
He loves He chastens, but His rod and staff support. 
And it is a rod of blessing, a blessed staff ; lean on 
it, and the Everlasting Arms will uphold you." 

Mrs. Bethune, 

NOVEMBER 30. 

" Blessed is the man Thou choosest and causest 
to approach unto Thee." — Ps. Ixv. 4. 

Remember, "the secret of the Lord is with them that 
fear Him ; and He will show them His covenant.'' 
**Even the hidden wisdom, the Spirit of wisdom and 
revelation in the knowledge of Him, that ye may 
know what is the Hope of His calling, and what the 
riches of the glory of His inheritance." 

Holy Bible. 



176 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



DECEMBER I. 

** Saith the Lord, in blessing I will bless thee." 
—Gen. xxii. 17. 

Always a blessing, for, blessed be His name, He 
doth give to us to taste much sweetness in affliction, 
helping us to see that to depend simply on the blessed 
promise of a faithful, covenant-keeping God is the true 
and only way of obtaining peace, comfort, and stead- 
fastness of heart.'* 

Mrs, Hawkes, 

DECEMBER 2. 

" I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me." 
—Gen. xxxii. 26. 

Blessed be His name, through assisting grace, the 
surest way to confidence is to say to Him in prayer, 
with all humility and self-renunciation, * I will not let 
Thee go, except Thou bless me.' 

**Let no day pass without, like Jacob, wrestling 
for some satisfying taste that the Lord is gracious; and, 
like Jacob, you will assuredly prevail, and your faith 
will be enlarged and confirmed." 

Anon, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



177 



DECEMBER 3. 

"Blessed are they that are called unto the 
marriage supper of the Lamb." — Rev. zix. 9. 

Ah, if that blessing is ours, then will be our jubi- 
lee, when the reception of the guests will be, * Enter 
thou into the joy of thy Lord.' " 

Matf. XXV. 21. 

**Eat, O friends; drink you; drink abundantly, O 
beloved." 

Cant, V. I. 



DECEMBER 4. 

" Such as be blessed of Him shall inherit." — 
Ps. xxxvii. 22. 

Inherit ; take it with its old meaning, 'possess or 
to come into possession of.' ' The wise shall inherit 
glory.' * He that overcometh shall inherit all things.' 
* I will be his God, and he shall be my son.' 

Those whose expectations are thus from God can 
but faintly begin to imagine the riches of their inherit- 
ance, and there can be no disappointment about it — the 
Word is sure." 

Anna Warner, 

12 



173 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



DECEMBER 5. 

" Blessed be God, for He is plenteous in mercy, 
and a very present help in time of trouble." — 
Ps. Ixxxvi. 5. 

"A mind kept through grace is in peace ; faith is 
upholding even in deepest trial ; faith is given to rest 
in the blessed Saviour's care even as a child in the 
arms of a mother. The sacrifice of a broken heart God 
will not despise. Bring your sorrow, whatever it be, 
and lay it on the golden altar which purifies and sancti- 
fies every gift, even the all-prevailing name of Jesus." 

Anon, 

DECEMBER 6. 

" Thou preventest with the blessings of good- 
ness." — Ps. xxi. 3. 

**Not only are God's blessings new every morning, 
but His compassions *fail not.' He is, indeed, * very 
pitiful and of tender mercy,' and although you may 
grieve Him day by day by your waywardness, yet He 
will bring you back to His side. His loving Voice will 
recall you ; He will say, * Come unto me, O weary 
and heavy-laden.' " 

Sunshine and Starlight, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



179 



DECEMBER 7. 

" The wrath of God is revealed from heaven 
against all unrighteousness of men, who change 
the truth of God into a lie, and worship and serve 
the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed 
forever," — RoM i. 18, 25. 

" Remember, you must choose whom you will sen/e. 
You can not serve God and Mammon, You can not be 
a friend of Christ and a friend of the world at the same 
time. 

The way is narrow and rough, and it is no use say- 
ing it is not ; but depend on it, there can be no saving 
religion without sacrifices and self-denial." 

DECEMBER 8. 

" I will extol Thee, my God, O King ; and I 
will bless Thy name forever and ever."^ — Ps. 
cxlv. I. 

*'The spirit which is conscious of love to God, thus 
carries within it its own assurance of immortality. 

Do you know this assurance? 

If we rest on the Lord's faithful Word, we may 
justly look to Him for help ; nor will He let us look 
in vain." 



i8o 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



DECEMBER 9. 

*'The Lord commanded the blessing." — Ps. 
cxxxiii. 3. 

"Remember, the 133d Psalm is an illustration of 
the blessings of unity. It tells of the grace which lights 
upon and blesses souls through a common priesthood 
and common ordinances. 

* ' Behold how good and how pleasant the dwelling 
of brothers all at unity. Behold, bless ye the Lord, 
all ye servants of the Lord. Lift up your hands in 
holiness, and bless ye the Lord." 

y. Alexander, 

DECEMBER ID. 

** Behold I set before you this day a blessing. 
— Deut. xi. 26. 

Think of God's store-house of blessings. 

** Its entrance gate opening to the plea, * Have 
mercy upon me, O God,' and overarched with the 
assurance of acceptance through Christ. 

Through Christ — that for all ages is the chart of 
the thorny and yet blessed path that leads from ' death 
unto life.' 

**Is that chart the guide you follow these days of 
your earthly journey ? It leads from earth to heaven.'* 

Alien . 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



i8i 



DECEMBER II. 

" The Lord liveth, and blessed is my Rock, and 
the God of my salvation." — 2 Sam. xxii. 47. 

David's deliverance taught him to know a living 
God, swift to hear, active to help. 

Ask God that you too may have this blessed con- 
viction that you have a Friend mighty to help in every 
hour of need, and your song like David's will be, 

'Therefore will I give thanks to Thee among the 
nations, O Jehovah, and to Thy name will I strike the 
harp.' " 

Alexa7ider Maclaren, 
DECEMBER 12. 

" Blessed be the glory of the Lord/' — Ezek. 
iii. 12. 

Remember, God made promise, saying, 

* Surely blessing I will bless you.' 

O my soul, what canst thou desire beyond this? 
Ask w^hatsoever thou wilt in the name of Jesus, and in 
the faith of His holy Word, and if it be for the glory 
of God, and the real good of thy soul, thou shalt have 
thy request granted." 

A7ion, 



l82 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS^ 



DECEMBER I3. 

" He blessed him." — Gen. xxxii. 29. 

Christ came to bless ; again and again He cries, 
* Blessed are ye,' and the blessedness goes ever pro- 
gressively, increasing along the way which the Sav- 
iour points out ; and if we continue walking in that 
way, we become more and more capable of receiving 
that blessedness." 

Stier. 



DECEMBER I4. 

It shall be well with thee. Behold thus shall 
the man be blessed that feareth the Lord." — Ps. 
cxxviii. 2, 4. 

** O let the blessing of the Lord rest upon me, 
and preserve my going out and my coming in ; and 
never leave me, nor forsake me, O Lord, but be my 
God and guide this day, and all my days, unto the 
Home where I must take up my abode and dwell for- 
ever." 

Hannah More, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



183 



DECEMBER 1 5. 

Blessed is he that watcheth." — Rev. xvi. 15. 

O Faithful Saviour, help us to hear Thy Voice 
saying, * Watch and pray.' 

*' Grant us this blessing, and that we may not rely 
on our own strength or good intentions, but be dili- 
gent in prayer for obtaining Thy succor, and by Thy 
strength may we become conquerors over evil." 

Ramhach, 

DECEMBER 1 6. 

" Hark ! what blessed song is this ? 

" Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which 
was, and is, and is to come." — Rev. iv. 8. 

Blessing, honor, peace, and glory be unto 
Him that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb 
forever." — Rev. v. 13. 

**May we hope, when life here glides into life 
There, to join in this hallelujah to our Creator's 
glory ? 

"Yes; for His word to us is, ' Come in, thou blessed 
of the Lord; wherefore standest thou without ? ' — Gen. 
xxiv. 31." 

Anon, 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



DECEMBER 1 7. 

" Blessed are the poor in spirit." — Matt. v. 3. 

*' Simple and easy this condition of blessedness 
runs, and yet it is hard enough, alas ! to the pride of 
nature. 

But as soon as the kingdom of Heaven begins to 
sink in the needy soul awakened to a sincere con- 
sciousness of its poverty, then the germ of the peace 
of God enters, and the poverty of spirit is transformed 
into most blessed humility." 

Lange, 

DECEMBER 1 8. 

" Saith the Lord God, I am their inheritance," 
and " cause the blessing to rest in thine house." 
— EzEK. xliv. 27-30. 

" How great a God is our God ! How powerful and 
tender a friend is our Redeemer ! He hath done all 
things well, He hath spoken peace to our souls ; we 
sail indeed upon a rough sea, but nothing can harm 
us while the Ruler of the storm is with us, and sheds 
from behind the cloud which hides Him from the 
world, the consolations of His blessed grace and 
love.'' 

Cu7tnzngham, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



185 



DECEMBER I9. 

" Ponder all the words of the law, the bless- 
ings and cursings." — ^JOSH. viii. 34. 

* ' Blessings — chief among their number, prayer — 
and remember, God lades the wings of private prayer 
with the sweetest, choicest blessings. Ah ! how often 
has God at the beginning of private prayer spoken 
peace, and filled the soul with light and joy»" 

Anon, 



DECEMBER 20. 

"Bless thyself in the God of Truth.'— Is. 
Ixv. 16. 

Remember, if He, our Lord, may but get the 

smallest portion of honor and glory to His blessed 
name through our afflictions, surely they will prove 
our greatest blessings." 

Memoir of Mrs, Hawkes, 



i86 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



DECEMBER 21. 

" Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all 
His benefits." — Ps. ciii. 2. 

''Blessed be God for Jesus Christ. Blessed be 
Jesus Christ for the gift of Himself, and for the gift of 
that living faith which unites the soul to Him, our liv- 
ing head. 

"Glory, honor, and praise be unto Him, now and 
ever." 

Anon, 

DECEMBER 22. 

"Blessed are they that do His commandments, 
that they may have right to the tree of Life, and 
may enter in through the gate into the city.*' — 
Rev. xxii. 14. | 

'Our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our con- 
science.' The words have the charm of life in them ; 
they tell us how a man lived, and how we may live. 

"For, this is our rejoicing as Christians — the testi- 
mony of conscience. It is the only clock that points 
to the moral time of day. Go by it. Do not look at the 
clock which rules another's conscience, but ' Drink 
water out of thine own cistern, and running water out 
of thine own well. Let thine own fountain be blessed. ' " 

Raleigh. 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



187 



DECEMBER 23. 

" Blessed are the peace-makers : for they shall 
be called sons of God." — Matt. v. 9. 

" This benediction is seen in its true light by com- 
parison with the angelic hymn, * On earth peace, 
among men of well-pleasing.' — Luke ii. 14. 

"The peace of which Christ speaks is that of re- 
united humanity ; the blessing of sonship is for those 
who, quickened by God's Spirit, help to realize on 
earth that inward brotherhood of which He has given 
the foundation and the pledge." 

Westcott, 

DECEMBER 24. 

" Blessed be the king that cometh in the name 
of the Lord." — Luke xix. 38. 

May Christmas stream in on you with such a bright 
joy and blessing and hope, as to leave no room for the 
shadows of earth. 

Take in fresh courage to go forward from grace to 
grace, from glory to glory. We hang back too much 
in our own nothingness instead of having a loving con- 
fidence in the power of the Holy Ghost to re-create us 
in Christ Jesus." 

H, Monsell. 



t88 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



DECEMBER 25. 

" Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is He. 
Hosanna in the Highest." — Matt. xxi. 9. 

"God bless you, and give you a ray of the heavenly 
gladness that thrilled through the angelic host as they 
worshipped and adored the infant Jesus ; and may the 
coming year be a season of union with an Incarnate 
God, so close, so intimate, so endearing that the power 
of the indwelling may move your whole life into one- 
ness with Him, and perfect you for the work for which 
He calls you.'* 

Anon, 

DECEMBER 26. 

Ask God to make Asher's blessing your blessing. 
" Thy shoes shall be iron and brass ; and as thy 
days, so shall thy strength be."— Deut. xxxiii. 25. 

Blessed promise, the fulness of God in Christ — out 
of which we have received, will continue the fulness of 
God in Christ on the day of our death too, if only we 
now seek the grace to live by it, be it peace, or strength, 
or watchfulness, or faith, or prayer, or whatever else in 
the great circle of the gracious blessings of God. We 
need have no fear, it will be given even unto eternal 
life by Jesus Christ our Lord.'* 



AND A BLESSED YEAR, 



DECEMBER 2/. 

" Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for- 
ever." — Romans ix. 5. 

Let this be a blessed day to you. 

Remember, from Heaven Christ sends down a 
blessing. He communicates His nature to us, and so 
we learn how we are to live, and how we are to let 
Him live in us ; and we see somewhat of what we 
might be if we had faith, and hope, and love, to bear 
the weight of the glory." 

H, Monsell. 

DECEMBER 28. 

" A good blessing." — Pro v. xxiv. 25. 

*'What a blessing is the spiritual telegraphy of 
prayer ! We never pray alone, but encircled by those 
whose wants are dear to us, and our prayers are 
buoyed up by the wants and aspirations of those who 
mingle in them. 

It is a privilege to go to God with the importance 
which linking others' wants to ours gives to our 
petitions." 

C. T, Collins, 



I go 



A YEAR OF BLESSINGS, 



DECEMBER 29. 

" Blessed be the God of all comfort, who com- 
forteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be 
able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by 
the comfort wherewith we ourselves are com- 
forted of God." — 2 Cor. i. 3-4. 

Recall the thankfulness that has filled your heart 
when God has opened His hand and shed on you some 
great blessing, and ask yourself, 'Did I remember 
God had done this for me, just to make me a fitter and 
more transparent medium through which He might 
send His comfort to other men ? ' " 

Phillips Brooks. 

DECEMBER 30. 

" Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanks- 
giving, and honor, and power, and might be with 
you forever and ever. Amen.'' — Rev. vii. 12. 

Oh, how blessed all the inner circles of Love are ; 
they all rise up and find their centre in Christ, and shed 
down upon us rays of His own Divine Love and glad- 
ness. If we dwelt more in it we should ascend more 
quickly to Him, and He would descend upon us with 
the full blessedness of His own loving Presence." 

Anon, 



AND A BLESSED YEAR. 



DECEMBER 3I. 

Receive blessings from the Lord.'* — Ps. xxiv. 5. 

Remember, both death and sleep are blessed mys- 
teries of life. It is of little consequence what time the 
an^el of life opens the door of death for us ; the 
supreme concern for us is whether our hearts shall be 
pure, and our souls strong in grace to rejoice in the 
vision of the Everlasting Day. Is the Lord Christ who 
is the resurrection and the life standing before us now 
with His blessing at the gate of the new year? 

With His greeting, — which is a glad Voice beyond 
time, and death, — ah ! if we hear that, then our hearts 
are lifted above the flood of years here.'* 

Newman Smyths 



